Last Updated on August 31, 2020

When you moved out of your parent’s home, you never thought, you’d have to deal with the awkwardness of having sex while spending time with your family.

See in my case, I only see my family every couple of years, because we leave on different continents. So to make the trip worthwhile, we tend to stay a few weeks. Now there is no way, I would go that long without having sex and I had to be creative.

Now imagine spending three weeks in close-quarter with your parents as a grown adult in a relationship. It takes skills, patience, and lots of communication for everyone to maintain love and happiness. 

My husband and I did it and navigated the ups and downs effortlessly so I thought I would share with you how we managed to have daily sex still right next to my parent’s bedroom and got closer to each other even under pressure. 

LISTEN TO EPISODE 21 OF THE LOVE LAB PODCAST: HOW TO KEEP THE HOLIDAYS SEXY

4 TIPS FOR HAVING SEX WHILE FAMILY IS AROUND

1. We showed our affection around my family.

Many people believe that public display of affection is to be avoided when around the family. I say not. Be yourself, kiss, hold hands, gaze into each other’s eyes, declare your love out loud because it gives others permission to do the same. 

I witnessed an entire shift in the way my parents interacted with each other within days of our arrival. Suddenly they too were being lovey-dovey, and because of the extra loving, there was less complaining in the house.

2. We talked about sex openly.

Ok, maybe it’s a little easier for me being a sexologist to talk about sex with anyone, even with my parents. Still, taking sex out of the closet and normalizing it allowed us to make time for lovemaking. 

We went to bed early to be able to spend quality time together and made no secrets about it. My mother even gave me permission to be as loud as I wanted after I told her I was holding back for fear of shocking them. 

3. We used lovemaking to relax.

Sex can be a great stress-reliever, so instead of analyzing and spending hours talking about what was being said or not being said at the dinner table, we got naked and made love to bring us closer again. 

That was the best way to keep our immune system high during our travels and to keep our endorphins (happy hormones) flowing.

4. We had “us” time.

As tempting as it is to spend all your time with your family and people you don’t see often, it’s important to keep space for your relationship.

We took walks just the two of us, we did little outings on our own and we made sure to still keep each other high on the priority list. The key is to balance your family’s needs with yours.

READ THIS: HOW TO GET IN THE MOOD EVEN WHEN YOU ARE STRESSED

Having sex, while spending time with your family is more than doable. It’s all matters of priorities. Have mutual respect, good communication, and most importantly a good sense of humor.

My advice, go for it, as everyone will be better off for it.