Can't tickle with anyone except romantic partner

[Ita24]

I'll just start with the reality for me, the act of tickling gets me aroused. I don't know why, but it's just the way it is. If I'm with family or friends and tickling starts in any capacity, I leave because to get those aroused feelings with people like that is not a comfortable feeling. The irony is that I'm actually asexual in the sense that I have NO desire for sex. It doesn't excite or interest me in the slightest. Tickling does. This may be an odd way to put it, but tickling with a girlfriend is like my version of sex. It does it for me.

 

[The Internet]

I can relate to alot of what you're saying, and I hope you're not beating yourself up about it.

1.) I think you will find a lot of us who have this kink feel anxious, uncomfortable, maybe even nauseous about it when it breaks out in front of us. You feel like everyone knows what you're thinking and feeling. Leaving the room is a very common way to deal with it.

2.) As far as sex is concerned, I can tell you how I personally relate: I never have that "notch on my belt" feeling when I bed someone. Only when I tickle them. That's the thing that I'm proud of. Sex (for me) is something that only comes once I've learned for sure if she's ticklish. I don't even have to tickle her after that! Just knowing is enough to get me to , you know....perform. But it's the moments that I tickled her that stay in my memory, and the sex dissipates into the air after it's over.

I don't know how old you are, and I can't tell if you're upset that this is how you feel about sex and tickling....or if you're just putting it out there to see if anyone else feels the same way.

If you're beating yourself up about it, I'd say don't. Your sexuality is always developing. Your ambivalence about the sex act will probably evolve into something else as the years go on. I just turned 50, and my feelings about it are still changing and growing. You have a girlfriend.....are you saying you're not making love to her at all? That IS a problem, if so. (assuming she is not satisifed with no sex)

 

[Yote]

Nothing wrong with feeling uncomfortable by seeing tickling between friends or family. It's a good thing you choose to leave because getting aroused by those people (especially family) is...bad for obvious reasons.

It's normal for a fetish to turn you on more than vanilla sex does. Lots of people are like that in general, not just on TMF.

 

[Barney Stubble]

In my opinion the family/friends boundary applies to sexual activity. I know some few regard tickling itself as a sexual activity, but the reality is it is not. If seeing your sister-inlaw tickling your cousin turns you on in a way that doesn't make you imagine them naked or want to touch their private parts, you're golden as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Wolf]

I'll just start with the reality for me, the act of tickling gets me aroused. I don't know why, but it's just the way it is. If I'm with family or friends and tickling starts in any capacity, I leave because to get those aroused feelings with people like that is not a comfortable feeling. The irony is that I'm actually asexual in the sense that I have NO desire for sex. It doesn't excite or interest me in the slightest. Tickling does. This may be an odd way to put it, but tickling with a girlfriend is like my version of sex. It does it for me.

If you're aware that it's sexual for you, and thus, it makes you uncomfortable when you see friends and family doing it, it's better to acknowledge it than to try and deny it.
If it was some other activity that made you feel weird, for whatever reason, you'd be reasonable to do the same thing.
You do you, man.