If Mom's Happy

The path through mothering affects nearly every aspect of sexuality: intimacy, identity, reproduction, body image, gender roles and expression, vulnerability, reciprocity, skin hunger, and so much more. Like great erotica, mothering explores the complexity of sexuality--the ache, the ecstasy, and everything in between. From the introduction by editor Brandy Fox: In the midst of a 15-year marriage with two kids, I was blindsided by a libido so intense, I had to start writing erotica just to channel those heart-pounding sexual fantasies hitting me full force any time of day: in the grocery store, at preschool parent meetings, even in Kindermusik class while singing A Ram Sam Sam across from an energetic teacher in a low-cut top. My sex drive insisted I pay attention to it, care for it, make time for it like I did my family. With a long-time partner, there were other benefits to a libido in overdrive: more time devoted to us as a couple, playing, connecting, letting go. It required frequent date nights, plotting and planning, sneaking and giggling, hushed orgasms that made the explosion all the more powerful, and loss of sleep that was well worth it. All this made the sex more fun, more delicious, and more satisfying. Studies show that women in their thirties and early forties are significantly more sexual than younger women. The result of this--or perhaps the cause--is that mothers are less inhibited, more in touch with their bodies, and more skilled at asking for what they want. This collection features women in all stages of motherhood navigating the complicated but essential path through--in some cases, back into--a healthy sex life. They're single, partnered, straight, queer, young, middle-aged, in the United States and abroad. But for all of them, sexuality is woven into the very fabric of mothering.