Health Network News

Remember when you were in your twenties and romance was foremost on your mind? We may have had a lot of work to do but Mother Nature made sure that we kept looking for or thinking about that special someone. Once we get old, it seems that we are expected by modern society to forget about romance and sex.

I think young adults are uncomfortable to consider senior citizens in romantic or sexual situations, therefore the media and advertising gurus seldom portray us in that light. You can see this fallacy operating on multiple levels. The only commercials depicting seniors interested in sex are the ones selling male impotence drugs. You’d think that every man over 50 could no longer perform without help. Men and women enjoying each other romantically and sexually in their sunset years is more the reality than the media would lead us to believe.

Seniors have a healthy appetite for romantic comedies and have a keen interest in romantic relationships. It is perfectly natural for seniors to feel a sense of freedom and desire a level of spontaneity when their children have left the nest.They can sometimes be looked at with concern and disapproval by their adult children who believe that mom and dad are going through their second childhood phase.

Adult life before retirement is often packed with pressures of raising kids and getting them “ready for life”, along with work and social pressures. Many senior couples find it difficult to make the adjustment from being responsible parents with many social obligations to finally having time to focus on their romantic needs. So when a marriage matures into retirement years together, it’s common for senior citizens to rediscover why they fell in love in the first place and experience a new period of romance that is fun and thrilling for both.

Life can be far more innovative and interesting for seniors now than it was in their teens or as twenty-somethings. Getting or staying healthy together can be much more fun when you remove the added complexity of work and parenthood. You can get to know and appreciate each other all over again in an uninhibited and unconstrained way.

Senior citizens are free to pursue their romantic inclinations at a slow, careful leisurely pace or enjoy spontaneous amorous interludes in each other’s arms while on vacation. Nature may have a different purpose for seniors than creating babies, therefore the intense motivation for getting together may be different than it was when you are both younger. Taking time in your senior years to go on romantic adventures or just enjoy the companionship of others is important for a well-balanced mental outlook.

Filling the gap left by a loved one who has passed can be daunting for many; continuing to share life with others and convert grief into a commitment to give and receive love may not only fill that gap but bring about emotional transformation. The feelings of loss can leave some seniors emotionally distant far longer than the healing process has accounted for. It is important to remember that life is still worthwhile and there is still much to contribute to it.

Many seniors experienced a sense of youthful rebellion while moving into what many euphemistically call a second childhood phase; this can actually be a good thing. Although there might be a certain level of immaturity being exhibited, this attitude may also contribute to a new lease on life. Every so often, you have to throw caution to the wind and go ahead and have fun into the night, go rock climbing or go to a rock concert. This kind of exhibition may seem to require outside intervention because of the seemingly chaotic actions and abrupt changes you may exhibit but in the end it is simply the phase in which you begin to stretch the boundaries that are set by your social circle. There is no reason to deny your romantic and sexual self as seniors when you have spent so much of your life sacrificing for your children or being responsible for others.