Today, I’m going to be talking about flirting in your marriage. More specifically, how I flirt in my marriage. So if that interests you and you want some suggestions, keep on reading.

Now, this actually came up as a topic in the Facebook group associated with 30 Days to Wanting it More and I thought it was such a great question that I would make a whole post about it. Whether this person wanted me to do that or not, I don’t know… but why not?

What Is Flirting?

The ideal flirting in your relationship is a popular topic in the marriage education sphere. They all say, “Keep your marriage alive. Flirt in your relationship, that’s really important.”

I’ve always felt a little uncomfortable with that statement. However, I never really knew why until I dug a little deeper into my thoughts about flirting. I think I feel uncomfortable about it because flirting, according to the dictionary definition, is a form of attracting a mate. So it really is characteristic in the early stages of a relationship, probably even before you really get involved with that person.

Psychology Today says, “Flirting is a time-honored way of signaling interest and attraction, to say nothing of mutual awareness. It’s a kind of silent language spoken by men and women around the world. The ways people communicate interest are so deeply rooted in human nature that the signals are automatically understood by all. Flirting is part of the behavioural repertoire we need to meet nature’s most basic command – find a good mate and multiply.”

So flirting is actually meant for a specific time in your relationship.

I think what I’m uncomfortable with when it comes to flirting is that it’s almost like saying that having a mature relationship – being in that steady, consistent marriage – is kind of boring. Or, that we should always get back to the “good old days” when things were exciting and new. Back when all those romantic hormones were rushing through our bodies. Just because you’re now fully committed, doesn’t mean that you can’t continue to say to your partner, “I choose you.”

I would like a new term to describe that kind of thing in a mature relationship, but I don’t have one. So I’m going to continue to use the word “flirting”, but just know that it’s a much different thing from when you were in that romantic phase and it was all about attraction: the little looks, the eye contact, the way you cross your legs towards that person.

I mean there are whole books written about the art of flirting

And in a mature marriage – maybe you’re 2, 7, or 20 years into it. It’s about saying every day to your partner, “I choose you, I see you and I’m not taking you for granted. Furthermore, I see you as a person that’s separate from me as an individual out in the world, and I see that maybe other people are attracted to you or that other people admire you and I am going to admire you too.” So with that said, let’s move on to what I do in my marriage because rather than giving you all these “to-do’s” and three-step processes, I’d like to just share what I do because it’s more fun that way.

The number one rule of flirting I think in a marriage is that everyone gets what they feel comfortable with. So for example, I don’t really like comments about my body. I don’t really like being called sexy or even beautiful… it makes me feel uncomfortable, and like I’m being objectified, which I’m very sensitive to because of the culture we live in. My husband, on the other hand, doesn’t mind those things. Actually, he really enjoys them. So I think it’s really, really important that whether you’re giving or receiving, that you’re comfortable with both. You’re comfortable with the giving part and you’re comfortable with the receiving part.

What I Do

The way I flirt with my husband is very stereotypical. Men really (most men, you should check with your husband), like to be desired and admired. So I call him, “sexy”, or “hot”… I comment on what he’s wearing if I like it, I’ll give him little gropes, and slaps, and pinches. It’s really about commenting on his appearance and saying that I’m really enjoying the beauty that God has created in him. And then also kind of quickly touching him in areas that I know he really enjoys. It’s really fun and playful and goofy.

What he does on the flip side, is pretend that he doesn’t care, so that kind of creates more tension so that I can feel like I’m chasing him. That’s just the dynamic we need in our relationship for me to feel comfortable and to do that more, and he wants me to do that more, so it kind of becomes a game. I’ll say something like, “Oh. Your butt looks great in those pants.” And then he’ll just kind of be really silent or look away and it’s just really, really fun. So we do that pretty much on a daily basis.

What He Does

The way my husband flirts with me is a little bit more subtle because I’ve already mentioned I don’t really like all those overt kind of flirty things that I like to do to him that he really, really enjoys. So instead of that, he’ll send me goofy little texts like for example. He sent me this really goofy text yesterday and it’s just a picture of him in his office with a funny face, and he wrote, “This is how intensely I love you.” And I think that’s really, really sweet and I love it when he does that. I think texting is the best way to flirt with your spouse.

I also really enjoy it when he comments on certain things about my appearance. For example, sometimes he’ll say, “Oh. I really love your makeup today.” And there’s something about that where he’s basically saying, “I really see your effort and I don’t see it as too girly or too frivolous. I actually really enjoy it. Thanks for …” I don’t know, “… taking a moment.” I really like it when he says that and I feel like he is saying, “I choose you, I see you and I’m attracted to you.” I also like when he comments on my clothes. “Oh. Those pants look great on you.” Or he commented the other day, “Oh. That shirt is really cute.” There’s a shirt I have that he refers to as my “farmer’s shirt”, because it’s plaid, and I think that’s just really adorable.

How Do YOU Flirt? I’d Love to Know!

So, I would really love to know how you flirt in your marriage. Comment below and let me know! It would be really cool to share and get some ideas. Again, we need a new name for this because flirting really is about the attraction part. We’ve already attracted our mate, they’ve already said, “Yes, I’m committed to you. You are the one I want.” And, as Psychology Today says, “find a good mate and multiply.”

So maybe they have already said like, “Yes, I would like to multiply with you.” Or maybe you’ve already multiplied (maybe you’re practicing multiplying all the time. If so, that’s fantastic).

Anyway, we need a new name. And what can we call that kind of encapsulation? Saying, “I choose you, I want you, and I see you in the world”? If you have a good idea, let me know, send me an email, and I’ll talk to you guys later.