Contributed by: Erika on Monday, September 28 2009 @ 08:49 am
Last modified on
Have you been called a “cougar?” Well, you’re not alone. In the dating world, it seems that any woman who happens to connect with a younger man is destined to bear the title of cougar these days. Granted, it’s not the nicest thing a confident woman in search of a romantic match can be called, is it really all that bad to be a cougar these days?
Women in their mid-thirties and beyond have a special edge over their twenty-something “competitors” in the dating world. What is it, you ask? Read on and I’ll tell you the top five reasons it’s great to be a cougar and on the prowl these days!
Reason 1: You know what you want to be when you grow up.
Confidence is completely sexy and your have it in spades. As a matter of fact, you’ve spent the past thirty-some-odd years developing that confidence. You’re not bouncing around from job to job and have probably come to discover what you really love doing with your life. Your career, passions and pursuits all reflect who you are and what you enjoy. There’s nothing sexier than waking up in the morning and knowing that you’re a confident woman who knows where she’s going. That’s a ride for which any match is lucky to get a ticket.
Reason 2: You’ve come to understand and appreciate sex.
In your teens and early twenties, you’re figuring out sex. Hopefully by your late twenties and early thirties, you’ve discovered what pleases you and how to please a partner. Understanding the importance of sex in your life – no matter where it falls on the scale – can only add to you being a better partner for the match in your life. You see it as a release, as passion, as fun and occasionally as a pure need. Being able to see sex for more than just what goes on in dorm rooms and the back seats of your parents’ car lends to that whole confidence thing and makes you someone lovely to wake up next to.
Reason 3: Alone time – everyone needs it.
As a “cougar,” you don’t need to be with your partner 24/7. Rather, you understand and appreciate that you each have things you like doing and they sometimes don’t involve the other person. When you can each go your separate ways and pursue what you love yet still converge and share the wonderful things in life together, you’re going miles towards not only being a great partner. You’re letting your partner know that you respect their life. You’re each better people for what you do individually. Those individual pursuits make you better together as well.
Reason 4: You don’t need men to buy your drinks.
Whether you’re out for a night on the town with your girlfriends or on a business trip and catching up on some reading at the bar over a solo dinner – you’re a big girl. You can buy your own drinks and meals (though it’s nice to have someone offer on occasion). You know that who you are is more important than how much you drink or how little you eat and that you’re more than just a caricature of a woman on the prowl. When you share your time with someone, it’s because they are deserving of your company and add value to your life. Not because you need them to pick up the tab.
Reason 5: Because you know that chemistry is hard to find and you’re not limiting yourself on finding love.
No matter the age of the person you connect with, you understand that how you two relate is what keeps conversations alive, sex exciting and your relationship from going stale. If you find that connection with a younger partner, who’s to criticize? So long as you’re realistic about expectations and face more challenging issues head-on (like the desire to have children, blending families and life goals), there is nothing set in stone that says the people involved in a perfect couple are within a few years age of one another. Follow your heart, honor yourself, and don’t compromise on what makes you feel loved at the end of the day.
Being a cougar in this day and age isn’t such a bad thing after all! We are all looking for someone to make our days brighter and heart fulfilled. Cougars are just a few steps closer to fulfilling that on a personal level! Never let anyone say that being a cougar is a bad thing. After all – if they didn’t call us cougars, they’d call us something else.