Two in a Bed...
I am currently reading a book called, Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing by Paul C. Rosenblatt, a sociologist from the University of Minnesota. In the book he discusses all aspects of couples sleeping together: how they first learn to sleep with someone else, rituals, disagreements about sleeping conditions (temp, t.v., light), sex and other pre-bed activities, outside intrusions, sleep disorders and their impact on couples, etc. Throughout the book there are excerpts from the interviews he did with the 88 couples he based his research on. The book is fascinating, but the excerpts are especially so.
The following explanation and excerpts from the book were really interesting in a hmmm... sort of way following a New Years' conversation where a story was told about two of my friends having sex in a 'family' bathroom at a mall. That was juxtaposed to the fact we also found out another couple we know is expecting their first child in June.
"Quite a few parents were concerned about children who slept in nearby bedrooms becoming aware of the sounds of parent intercourse. With children nearby, many parents felt that it was difficult to have intercourse freely, frequently, and spontaneously.
KAREN: When you are just a young couple and it's just the two of you, anything goes. Then you have the kids...and you gotta kind of work around the little kids and teach 'em how to knock on the door before they come in...Then with the teenagers... then you might work around whether they're home or not...Teenagers...can be a real challenge. I can remember saying, "Sh-h-h." (laughs) Or trying to be quiet.
MARGARET: We keep our door open at night (JOSH: Yeah), and in the morning, before we make love, you get up and lock the door (JOSH: Close it and lock it), because our son just comes in. He doesn't knock. There's no privacy."
Another excerpt talked about no longer sleeping nude or walking around nude in front of the kids. Wow, just more things to chalk up on the list to "enjoy now" while we don't have kids.
The following explanation and excerpts from the book were really interesting in a hmmm... sort of way following a New Years' conversation where a story was told about two of my friends having sex in a 'family' bathroom at a mall. That was juxtaposed to the fact we also found out another couple we know is expecting their first child in June.
"Quite a few parents were concerned about children who slept in nearby bedrooms becoming aware of the sounds of parent intercourse. With children nearby, many parents felt that it was difficult to have intercourse freely, frequently, and spontaneously.
KAREN: When you are just a young couple and it's just the two of you, anything goes. Then you have the kids...and you gotta kind of work around the little kids and teach 'em how to knock on the door before they come in...Then with the teenagers... then you might work around whether they're home or not...Teenagers...can be a real challenge. I can remember saying, "Sh-h-h." (laughs) Or trying to be quiet.
MARGARET: We keep our door open at night (JOSH: Yeah), and in the morning, before we make love, you get up and lock the door (JOSH: Close it and lock it), because our son just comes in. He doesn't knock. There's no privacy."
Another excerpt talked about no longer sleeping nude or walking around nude in front of the kids. Wow, just more things to chalk up on the list to "enjoy now" while we don't have kids.
posted by KLOU | 10:03 AM
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