Sex Confession: Husband’s Flirting Makes Wife Feel Inadequate

"Sex Confessions" is a series featuring your naughtiest bedroom secrets and fantasies. Some will sound familiar, others may give you ideas, some will turn you on, and some are dark and twisted. You might want to sit down for this.

Carol* is a 30-something mom of two. She's been married for what she says seems like forever (12 years). And she's currently very annoyed at her husband. Very, very annoyed. Patrick* makes her feel inadequate. She says he doesn't often give her compliments, but he finds time to bestow his sweetest words on waitresses, check-out girls, even toll booth collectors. He's a flirt and it's starting to make Carol feel bad about herself. So bad she's lost interest in having sex with her husband. That bad. Let's hear what she has to say.

I feel like a jealous wife but Patrick's flirting has gotten out of control. It's upsetting me, and even though I told him it bothers me, he hasn't stopped. One example: He flirts with the waitress when we are out at restaurants. Once he told our server that she had "gorgeous eyes" while I was sitting right there about to order a burger and fries. Gorgeous eyes?!?! That's a little much, don't you think? Later that night Patrick flirted with me and I turned him down. It was the first time I had done that in a really long time, but I was so turned off by him and how he inappropriately spoke to our waitress that there was no way in hell I was going to fake it.

I've let plenty of light flirting go — ignored it and pretended it didn't bother me. But then I felt it was getting worse. The compliments he gives other women — I never hear. Seeing him do this in front of me worries me. Does he even realize? He says he doesn't think he doing anything wrong. He cannot see how it hurts me. It's turning me off to him, making me feel like I'm not cute or sexy or perky enough for him. I just want some compliments from him. But he tells me he is just being nice to these women.

I want him to be nice — nicer — to me. I'm not sure how to get through to him and make him stop. But it's really starting to affect things and I don't want it to get out of control.

What is your advice for Carol? Has her husband gone too far or is this harmless flirting? Does your husband flirt too much and does it turn you off?

Names have been changed.

Image via Pittaya Sroilong/Flickr