Good Morning. Let’s play TMI Tuesday!

Jack’s Answers

1. What three things do you expect from a relationship with a lover/spouse?
Honesty. Respect. Love, if it’s that kind of relationship. I want to say sex as well, even though there are few things these days that are more unappealing than a man who expects or feels entitled to sex. Still, if I have a lover, I doubt our relationship will be expressed primarily through sonnets and bouquets of roses; therefore I don’t think I’m out of line in saying I’d expect sex from someone with whom I had a sexual relationship.

2. What three things do you expect from a relationship with your child?
Back-talk. Whining. Lack of sleep. And these three things go both ways.

3. How do you mend a broken heart?
Distraction. Obviously there are those who suffer a broken heart and immediately turn to drink, or to a container of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. And I certainly have no problem with that. But for me, the most surefire cure for the blues is immersing myself in any of a number of activities that won’t remind me of my loss. If I can keep busy, I am less likely to feel the pain, and more likely to get over the breakup without any serious stumbling blocks.

4. What is your favorite therapy (remedial treatment of mental or bodily disorder)?
I’m not really sure how to answer this. I don’t actually have any therapy of this type. And I really need it. But the fact is, I raise a child and I run a business. I’m probably one of the busiest people I know. As my daughter gets older and more demanding of my time, I find that some mental therapy would be greatly appreciated. In the past, when she was younger and relatively less needy, I would stay up as late as three o’clock to decompress after a trying day. Now, however, she’s in school. As the parent who drops her off every day, and who sometimes volunteers in her class, I don’t have the ability to forego sleep. I don’t have the luxury of partaking of therapy. There are certain indulgences I enjoy, from rich foods to nightly cocktails to masturbation, but I don’t really consider these therapy. They don’t offset the stress of the average day, and even if my life was a lot slower-paced, I’d still be indulging in them.

5. Who in your life has an annoying habit? How do you deal with this?
I can’t think of any annoying habits, really. Not in the strictest sense of the word. Nobody in my family or circle of friends regularly crack their knuckles, spit when they talk, leave their turn signals on for blocks at a time, or chew with their mouths open. However, without going into too much depth, there are certain people who are close to me who seem not to approve of how I raise my daughter. Not because of our lifestyle, or my atheism or anything like that. They just take issue with how I discipline her. I’m not particularly strict, really – my daughter doesn’t require anything too serious – but I do discipline her when necessary. Which, now that I think of it, is precisely how the aforementioned certain people raised me. Oops – I’ve said too much.  Anyway, I deal with it by being confident in my parenting skills and always bearing in mind that I am doing what is necessary to ensure our daughter the best possible upbringing I can provide.

6. In five words, describe yourself. You cannot use the following words: funny, fun, nice, kind, responsible.
I am sexy as fuck.

Bonus: If in a long time, romantic relationship do you still flirt? How do you flirt with your significant other?
When I first read this question, I thought it was asking whether I flirt with others even though I am in an ongoing romantic relationship. However, upon a second read I see that it’s asking whether I flirt with my significant other. The answer is yes; I’ve always been very flirty, and I never understood why someone in a long-term relationship might become complacent and stop flirting. It’s fun, exciting, and often sexy to let your significant other know you’re still interested. Beyond flirting with words and body language around the house – something we both enjoy – I have been known to flirt in a more abstract fashion, such as leaving the occasional love note taped to the bathroom mirror for Jill to find. And we’ve got nothing against public displays of affection, though we are not Facebook flirters. Many of our friends are, and it always makes us wonder if they are posting romantic sentiment on each other’s Facebook pages for its own sake, or because they want everyone to see them doing so.

Jill’s Answers

1. What three things do you expect from a relationship with a lover/spouse?
Trust, respect, and love. I have other expectations, or hopes, but these are the most basic, and as such they are non-negotiable.

2. What three things do you expect from a relationship with your child?
Perhaps surprisingly, my first three expectations from my child are the exact same as the first three from my lover or spouse, namely trust, respect, and love.

3. How do you mend a broken heart?
As the old saying goes, time heals all wounds. However, if the relationship is still ongoing, it will also require a concentrated effort to regain my trust and respect.

4. What is your favorite therapy (remedial treatment of mental or bodily disorder)?
A long, slow massage, an intense workout at the gym, or a lazy, leisurely bath. Or all three!

5. Who in your life has an annoying habit? How do you deal with this?
My daughter responds to every direction I give with a counter-argument or question. In order to deal with it, I try to be patient, chalk it up to her strong-willed and independent nature, and give the direction to her in a different way.

6. In five words, describe yourself. You cannot use the following words: funny, fun, nice, kind, responsible.
Sexy, intelligent, interesting, emotional, loving.

Bonus: If in a long time, romantic relationship do you still flirt? How do you flirt with your significant other?
I still flirt with Jack. It’s just that we don’t often find ourselves in situations that are conducive to, or allow, overt flirting. Sometimes I might grab Jack’s ass as I walk by him, or whisper something provocative in his ear. There’s nothing wrong with being flirty in front of our daughter, as I think we are demonstrating that love is good and exciting, and not something that has to diminish as time passes. But I don’t necessarily need her to catch sight of me copping a feel on her father.

How to play TMI Tuesday: Copy the above TMI Tuesday questions to your webspace (i.e., a blog). Answer the questions there, then leave a comment below, on this blog post, so we’ll all know where to read your responses. Please don’t forget to link to tmituesdayblog from your website!