Description
We all know that rape is a crime. But did you know that if your partner pressures you into a sexual situation that you don’t want, it’s also considered sexual abuse? It doesn’t matter what type of relationship you have, either. If you are sexually active with your partner and then your partner forces you into sex, it’s still considered sexual assault.
Negotiation and communication are two key elements in healthy relationships. Why? How will you know what your partner likes or doesn’t like if you don’t talk to each other? How will your partner know what your expectations are if you don’t tell him? And what about those times when you want to go to a football game but your partner wants to stay home? You have to be able to talk to each other and you have to be willing to negotiate—fairly—when you have decisions to make as a couple.
It’s hard work sharing your life with another person and arguments are bound to crop up between even the most affectionate couples. When your partner ignores you rather than talks, withholds affection from you because he’s mad or she’s hurt, breaks promises constantly, or brings up past events in order to “win” the current argument, he or she isn’t communicating in a healthy way.
Communication is important. You can’t be intimate with someone you don’t know and physical affection means more when you’re with someone you trust. You’re together because you want to spend more time with each other. Intimacy isn’t just physical—it’s sharing pieces of yourself that you don’t share with anyone else. It’s those little moments: the joke just between you, the private moments that only the two of you share. It’s very important to communicate your desires about physical affection, also.