Filed by Dotsie Bregel
A couple weeks ago, when my husband left to play a little tennis, I plopped myself in a comfy chair on the patio, propped up my feet, and plunked on the midlife reading glasses. With the Sunday paper and a few other publications I've been meaning to get to, I was set. Bliss. With ice water to my left, dog curled on the stone to my right, I was ready to escape. I rarely take time to read the whole paper. I was in great spirits.
An article about a new HBO series caught my eye. Due to explicit nudity and brash conversations about sexuality, Tell Me You Love Me is one of the latest controversial shows. The writer is happy with the story line because she believes her message of working things out in a relationship, and not splitting, is conveyed beautifully. Knowing it was going to be risque, I chose to appreciate her message and check out the show. I'm all for keeping couples together.
Now this is another rarity. I never watch TV. I can't tell you a show I watched in its entirety all last summer.
Sonny boy went up to watch football on the TV in his room, while hubby sat next to me on the sofa to watch a girly show. Nice gesture.
I won't tell you explicit details, but I will share that I will never watch again. The show reminded me a bit of 20 Something from years ago, but was over the top in regard to sexuality. Several couples share the intricacies of their lives.
You see the married couple reading to their kids at night, on the ball field, eating breakfast, etc. - all the typical stuff. You don't see them making love because they haven't in a year. However, you do see him taking care of his own sexualityÂ…if you know what I mean. His wife witnesses this through a cracked door. He didn't know she was watching.
Then there's the couple going through infertility, coming and going to work, and at the mother-in-law's having dinner and then having sex in the next room while everyone's still at the table. You see them at the doctors, therapists, trying to make a baby, etc.
The engaged couple is shown arguing or making love most of the time -- whenever, wherever.
There is also a married, boomer woman therapist who appears to have the healthiest sex life of them all. I liked that concept.
Unfortunately, the nudity was too much. I don't care to see people making love any and which way. I really don't. Seeing nudity on TV is bad enough, but watching couples having sex -- not sure they were all making love -- was a bit over the top for this boomer broad. And I'm not a prude. I really don't think I am. I've been married to the love of my life for 28 years and have a happy, healthy sex life. But that doesn't mean I want to see what's going on behind closed doors with other people. I was taught that sex is a personal intimacy between you and your husband. I prefer it that way.
I can here Mom saying, "They leave nothing to the imagination." And Mom, I couldn't agree more. Absolutely NOTHING was left to the imagination. I'm not sure why television writers have to go to such extremes to make their points.
While I no longer have little ones at home, I still feel for the people who do. The show was on HBO at 9:00. Can you imagine plopping on the sofa with your 11-year-old and watching people having sex right before your very eyes?
Has anyone else seen the show? Help! Is it just me who thinks bringing this into the home is wrong?
Dotsie Bregel is the founder of the National Association of Baby Boomer Women, www.nabbw.com, and Boomer Women Speak, www.boomerwomenspeak.com, a key site on all search engines for "baby boomer women." She has been mentioned in Time magazine, the Los Angeles Times and AARP Bulletin among dozens of newspapers across the nation. She is on the editorial board of me* magazine and writes book reviews for boomer magazine. She frequently does radio interviews and has appeared on The Early Show (CBS) with Dave Price.
She can be contacted at dots@boomerwomenspeak.com or 1-877-bboomer.
