Sharing a Bed?

My boyfriend and I decided not to have sex, but we do want to start sleeping together. Not sleeping together but sharing a bed at night. There is a group of us going camping and we plan on sharing a tent.

I've been there. My freshman year of college, I was best friends with my girlfriend. I was determined to save my virginity, and it wasn't easy. Saturday mornings we went to volunteer at a homeless shelter not far from my dorm. Instead of her getting up at dawn and taking the subway to downtown, she'd come over Friday night and stay the night. She'd sleep in my bed and I'd sleep on the couch.

I was tired of sleeping alone, and I knew I figured it'd be harmless to sleep next to her that Friday. Then I ran into a guy who was next door. Out of nowhere he asked: "do you two sleep together?" That's when I finally got it. There is a reason why "sleeping together" means having sex-because one leads to the other. Why?

1. It's a lot easier to fool around when you are horizontal. Not many people lose their virginity standing up.
2. It's dark, and you are under the covers. You've got two layers of "no one will know" that numbs your conscience.
3. One thing leads to the next…and you wake up the next morning thinking, "That wasn't supposed to happen."
   

Don't get me wrong, sleeping together is not bad. Sharing the covers, laughing to sleep, waking up in each other's arms. …woo hoo I can't wait for it! But, I don't want to cheapen such a wonderful and perfect place just because I can get away with it. That's the wrong attitude because you get hurt in the end. I don't want to say to my bride, "well baby, I've been looking forward to this ever since I slept here with the last girl."

When I was on the Real World in New Orleans, I woke up and a girl who was a friend was slipping into the cover with me. I wanted to hold her and go back to sleep and enjoy the moment. But, I knew that the cameras would be there in the morning ready to broadcast it to millions of people. So I slid out from bed and slept on the floor.

Now that I look back, it was not the cameras or the MTV watchers that mattered, but my bride. That's one experience I don't have to explain to her. I am so proud of that night. If I would've slept with her, I would carry that negative experience right to my wedding night.

Summary: Sleeping together won't guarantee you'll have sex, but it increases the chances of losing your purity. Sleeping together is an intimate experience, and you want to have clean memories so you can share that intimate experience only with you spouse.


-Matt