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MaamJay -> RE: The line between being Dominant and forcing (9/16/2009 12:00:58 AM)
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Getting back to the OP, I'm very much aligned with loving pet in that I don't believe it's submission until there is a willingness to "pay the cost", by which I mean being prepared to be out of their comfort zone at least some of the time. If a "sub" is only ever serving or being played with in ways that they like/enjoy/are comfortable doing, they are not really submitting, they are having their needs and wants met. Fine if there's no real desire for a power exchange and if it floats the Top's boat to have their play/service repertoire dictated by the bottom. I'm not sure that's quite where the OP stands though, since He finds that simply leads to downsizing the repertoire and killing the relationship through boredom. However, if a power exchange IS desired and the Top wants to be a Dominant and exercise leadership, then there needs to be clear communication about where the boundaries are. Where are the hard limits (for both D and s) ... generally I leave those alone. Where are the fuzzy boundaries? Those things the s doesn't particularly like/enjoy/feel comfortable doing but agrees will not cause permanent harm to do. Now those are areas out of their comfort zone and for Me, they need to consent to going there on some occasions. I don't like the whole "forcing" thing, I want them to be willing to go there even though they are free to say they don't enjoy being there. Examples: a sub who loves spanking but isn't fond of flogging. Well as I also love spanking, most times he'll get what he likes ... but every now and then I have a desire to grab the flogger ... well, he needs to be prepared to serve Me in his dislike by willingly allowing Me to flog him on those occasions. Interestingly though, the physical play type situations AREN'T where I've met most resistance. That's usually found in everyday type things. Example: I tell a sub to read these forums and post a message at least once a week so he can learn from a wide range of people. he refuses and goes off about "not spilling his guts in public". LONG letters are written to expand on why I want him to do this, the benefits, and that I'm not asking him to spill his guts, a post saying "thanks i learned a lot from this thread" would suffice. he still refuses. Out the door he goes as his lack of willingness to step out of his comfort zone makes Me lose all trust, faith and interest in him. The really silly thing is, had he trusted Me and taken that step, most likely within a month I would have said "good boy, ok you don't need to do that any more". In that situation I couldn't "force" him to do as I said and neither would I have wanted to. he has to show willing to follow where I lead. OP only You can decide what You want. I totally understand wanting to feel that Your partner enjoys most of what is happening, I wouldn't take pleasure in someone's discomfort all the time either. I'm not that much of a sadist (physical or emotional). But if You were to take the tack of insisting from the start that there will be times when You require them to be out of their comfort zone, and find a way of testing their consent to that fairly early on, then maybe that will make the screening process a bit easier. They need to trust You to not make this so frequent that it kills the relationship. Also You can say there will be "free communication" times when the sub can express to You their thoughts about the frequency and intensity of those "out of comfort zone" times, but that when You are telling them to go there isn't the time to voice that. I wish You luck! Maam Jay aka violet[A]
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