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Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 5:00:06 PM   
lilfemme23


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In reference to my previous post:
quote:

And while I know the concept of a mentor Dom is likely to get some folks all riled up, I think this is a case where having someone to watch out for you (whether a male Dom or female Domme) who is CLEARLY not someone you will get attached to or vice versa, just might help you keep your courage up to get through this. In other words, a Dom/me friend, NOT a substitute Mater.
My question is do you think this is a good tool to help feel less dependant on the direction of a Master who is not right for me (which is one of the reasons i haven't given up the relationship) or is it sort of like "rebounding"?
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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 5:05:59 PM   
LATEXBABY64


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i think if your a mentor it works only for those becomming doms or dommes someone told me the other day they should have mentor subs because after all subs know the protocals and can teach in a fashion that would be more of a learning nature

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 5:14:18 PM   
lilfemme23


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I think it would be good to have mentor subs, it is daunting to enter the social scene being completely unaware of even the basist social ruels not to mention the basic way to carry yourself going into any scene. What I am wondering though is how often do Dom/mes just take a sub under thier wing to keep them on track and give them direction? I personally have a very hard time figuring out what i want to do regarding most things. Where i want to eat what i want to eat ect. While i can make up my mind it is hard for me to do so with out just being given a smal group of choices first. This makes me reluctant to leave my Master eventhough He and i are really not right for each other.

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 5:27:01 PM   
chellekitty


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in my experience an ex, even on good terms, makes a horrid mentor...it is nearly if not completely impossible for them to be impartial....the best mentors are knowledgable and in that knowledge know that you can take what you want and leave the rest, and aren't offended if you leave something they give you...

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 5:46:07 PM   
catize


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How will you choose a mentor if you can't choose what food to eat? 

_____________________________

"Power is real. But it's a lot less real if it's not perceived as power."
Robert Parker, Stranger in Paradise

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 5:46:25 PM   
LuckyAlbatross


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For most cases, it's definitely a rebound issue.  IMO the best mentors push you towards independence. 

But you're going to do what you want anyway.


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Find stable partners, not a stable of partners.

"Sometimes my whore logic gets all fuzzy"- Californication

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 6:11:54 PM   
lilfemme23


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Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the advice. I guess it's time to just man up. *grin*

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 6:28:07 PM   
CelticPrince


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lilfemme,

In my opinion, honest forthright mentors do a great service for those in doubt on D/s issues.
They get nothing out of it for all the time spent' save the satisfaction of keeping someone form the wrong hurtful path.

CP

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 6:37:48 PM   
slaveish


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quote:

ORIGINAL: lilfemme23

In reference to my previous post:
quote:

And while I know the concept of a mentor Dom is likely to get some folks all riled up, I think this is a case where having someone to watch out for you (whether a male Dom or female Domme) who is CLEARLY not someone you will get attached to or vice versa, just might help you keep your courage up to get through this. In other words, a Dom/me friend, NOT a substitute Mater.
My question is do you think this is a good tool to help feel less dependant on the direction of a Master who is not right for me (which is one of the reasons i haven't given up the relationship) or is it sort of like "rebounding"?



Sounds like substituting one obsession for another to me. It isn't rebounding. It's far less healthy than that. Let go, all by yourself, of this person who you obviously realize is wrong for you. Be strong in your own right. Don't swap one crutch for another.

_____________________________

You only lose what you cling to. ~~Gautama Sidharta

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. ~~Mother Teresa

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 6:40:46 PM   
lilfemme23


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Sound advice from all of you. I wish I could give myself advice as good as this, then I wouldn't have to ask! I will take your advice it makes more sense than what I have been up to the last two weeks. Thank you.

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 6:57:58 PM   
MaamJay


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OK I will add to My original comment on this. Mentor subs can also work very well, and I encourage My subs to make friends. However, given where you seem to be at, I felt a Mentor Dom/me might be the best choice as right at the moment, you are clearly very much at sea and would probably respond to someone who has the ability to direct. I totally agree with catize, you need to take some control of your life, and with LA who points out that the best mentor will push you towards independence. In other words, they should be teaching and encouraging you to grow stronger and more capable, so that when you meet a more appropriate Master, He will be getting a "together" sub. From what you have said, I get the impression you need some initial help in getting yourself together, and that's as much because you have been torn down by your current situation as much as anything else. So I wouldn't regard it as "rebounding" because every effort should be made on both sides to avoid any other attachment beyond friendship.

A mentor (whether Dom/me or sub) should give you some general information about the scene, about some of the sorts of protocols that exist but should NOT train you in specific behaviours or habits. That is the responsibility of the Master you eventually submit to. When I mentor someone (and as a natural teacher I enjoy doing so and I have big wings *smile*), one of the things I do is set them a reading program. I give them links to 3 or 4 articles about a topic such as subspace, aftercare, subdrop, safe calls, safewords etc ... where possible I give them some different points of view or perspectives. They are to read and engage with this information for themselves, then answer some questions I set so that W/we can then discuss it in chat. And I create an environment of acceptance in which they are free to ask any question. The only stupid question is the one they don't ask. In terms of protocols for example, I explain that some Dominants like the "eyes down" rule, where a sub never meets the eyes of the Dominant unless specifically directed, whereas others love to have the sub gazing directly into their eyes. So I would never presume as mentor to train the sub to do either of those, that will be up to the eventual Master/Mistress.

When the sub ultimately finds the "right" Dominant, ideally they should understand the role the mentor has played and allow the friendship to continue while they are building trust and going through the negotiation stage with the sub. This gives the sub a trusted sounding board to discuss things with. Over time, the mentor should be able to step back, confident that the sub is now with an appropriate Dominant, though the basic friendship should still be there. A Dominant who isn't comfortable with that raises a bit of a red flag for Me, as it can indicate they are insecure and don't want anyone else who might know more checking out what they say.

No rulebook says you can only have one mentor too, if you can find a couple of people to act as sounding boards so much the better. Getting more than one perspective is always good, though occasionally confusing ... at least it points you to questions needed to clarify the differences! And it can help you to avoid becoming too dependent on or attached to one. And the boards here can be good, though just sometimes you get some responses that are a bit flippant (domiguy is a good eg) and you need to learn how to read them. In his sarcasm he usually raises some excellent points, he just tends to do so in a different way. Always best to read several threads and get a handle on those posters that seem to be consistent and sensible to you!

Good luck!
Maam Jay aka violet[A]

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Life is a song ... and I love singing it! (By me!)

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 7:10:08 PM   
MaamJay


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slaveish was obviously replying at the same time as I was. I'm NOT looking at a mentor as a crutch, and I agree that isn't healthy. As a mentor, I wouldn't be taking on telling you what to eat for eg ... I might discuss healthy diets with you (as a Human Biology teacher that's a given) and help you work up a general eating plan. But I wouldn't consider it healthy for you to email Me with "what should I have for breakfast?" every morning. If I didn't have that sort of knowledge, I would urge you to see a doctor or a dietitian for that specific advice. For Me, those are decisions you should be capable of making in "vanilla life", so at least if you later submit that to a Master, you do so in the knowledge that you are more than capable of doing it for yourself. In other words, you know your power before you choose to relinquish it. I see that as something that has been seriously lacking in the relationship you have been in, and is one of the factors that urged Me to say get out of there.

I see the mentor's role as mainly dealing with those things that aren't vanilla, with things that are part of bdsm, the D/s lifestyle etc. And yes, the only reward is seeing someone saved from taking "the wrong hurtful path" as Celtic Prince said. I would rather see them educated, capable of finding a satisfying and fulfilling relationship within the lifestyle. Then, as a mentor, I am happy!

Maam Jay aka violet[A]

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Life is a song ... and I love singing it! (By me!)

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 7:25:06 PM   
SimplyMichael


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I do not know why people make it such a big deal to join the local BDSM groups.  If there is only one and it sucks, that is one thing but please DON'T not join out of some fear of prototocal, believe me it is DEEPLY unfounded.  

Keep your panties on figuratively and emotionally and just be friends with people.  The ones who want to do that just might WANT to be friends, the ones who want to sign you up for some petty power trip are just that, petty and useless.

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 7:32:41 PM   
lilfemme23


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Are mentors easy to come by? Would it really help me or would I be weakening myself by getting the additional support? You konw like a back brace can help get the job done but if you wear it too long your muscles loose thier orriginal strength..

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 7:39:59 PM   
krista


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Greetings lilfemme23...

Yes of course...mentors are easy to come by....Mentors of quality...much more rare...

regards
krista
joy through service

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 7:45:56 PM   
MaamJay


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I didn't mention anywhere that the mentor had to be local to you or from a local group as Michael seems to have assumed. Someone online can be an effective mentor in the style I have mentioned ie as a FRIEND and general educator about bdsm. And yes, mentorship is a temporary thing (though the underlying friendship may not be), and the back brace analogy is quite a good one. I did warn that mentioning mentors can get some people riled up, they seem to think anyone who loves teaching and helping someone must have ulterior motives or be on some "petty power trip". That isn't the case, there ARE altruistic souls out there who believe that helping others is the way they "repay" the help people have given them in their own lives. And remember, their emphasis should be on helping you to help yourself ... strengthening you, not weakening you. Encouraging independence rather than dependence. If they are not doing that, then they are not the right mentor for you.

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Life is a song ... and I love singing it! (By me!)

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 7:48:05 PM   
octavia


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Part of my personal life philosophy involves finding those people who seem to have what i want in life and hanging out with them to find out how they got there.  I think mentors rock. 

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 7:58:32 PM   
julietsierra


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There are people who could serve as quality mentors in her area. Right now, the only problem is that the soonest munch would be at the beginning of next month - less than two weeks away.

Breakfast: Choose 3 things you like and make your choices from them each day.

Lunch: Choose 2 things that are simple and eat one of those each day

Dinner: Pick three meats if you're a meat eater and rotate them out daily.

The only way you're going to grow is if you start making decisions yourself. When you notice that something seems very difficult, reduce your options and move forward.

You'll be fine.

I'm more worried that if you indeed find someone to mentor, you'll transfer this inability to do anything for yourself on to him or her and then you'll be no farther ahead than you are right now. Sometimes growing up means you have to get to that edge and jump. You're not going to go hungry.

Additionally, I seriously doubt that any dominant is going to be willing to act as a mentor to someone who hasn't made a decision regarding the D/s relationship she is currently in.

juliet

< Message edited by julietsierra -- 7/23/2007 8:01:02 PM >

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 10:23:07 PM   
lilfemme23


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I have made my decision regarding my "Master" he will now be reffered to as P since i don't want to use his real name. P just recetly told me that he didn't really "collar" me thta he didn't put a lock on the chain he placed on my ankle and I read too much into it, I don't personally think that is true but at this point I don't care. I'm no longer going to be with him but it may take a while to tell him. Also I will let him stay here because outside of our bad relationship it is mutually benificial and I believe we can remain friendly aquaintances outside of our relationship.

Also in regards to a mentor I'm not looking for a substitute to take my life over, I really do just want someone to help me learn to be on my own. The tip for what to eat that you gave me sierra is a great example, I wouldn't have thought of that on my own but it will deffinately help me make my own decision with out being overwhelmed by choices. I am so sorry that I keep getting flustered and writing in a way that comes off differently than I intend. I have just been very scattebrained lately and as I said before tips like the one given above are the kind of thing I need to focus on getting my head straight and figureing out exactly what I want.

As always all of this advice is greatly appreciated and I will keep all of your opinions in mind while trying to make up my own! Every day that I get input from all of you I feel more and more confidant about my future and less afraid that I will  be dependant forever, thanks to all of you.

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RE: Mentor or band aid? - 7/23/2007 10:34:47 PM   
EvilGeoff


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quote:

ORIGINAL: lilfemme23
... I really do just want someone to help me learn to be on my own.


I was about to say something really snarky and evil, and then realized I know nothing about you or your upbringing.  So I did a rewind on the snark and I'll keep my yap shut.

YIK,
- Geoff

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