Play fighting with your spouse. Weird or no?

[Wonderwhyy]

DH and I both in our 30s with 2 children together 10 years so it's a mature relationship.
However we like to mess around with each other at times I'll maybe punch his arm in a jokey way and he'll punch mine back sometimes this can lead to a fake sparring match with a dead arm or dead leg.. all fun and games we both find it funny and it's just a goofy thing we do. Recently a friend of mine was by and she seen me punch his arm as a joke in the kitchen (he was in my way and I was basically saying move it) he punched mine back we laughed that was the end of it. After my husband left my friend said she couldn't believe it and after we talked about it and she understood it's all fun and games to us she was like I just find it weird as he's hitting you back. My sister has commented on it once as well at the start of our relationship more just like "what are you like"

I guess what I'm asking is, we're not the only ones are we? Are there others out there who do this?

Likewise - you haven’t surveyed enough couples to determine if this is “out of kilter” within caring and loving relationships or not.

We used to do it a lot. Not so much these days but then we are almost collecting our pensions😂

I'm very aware of that.
I'm not the one asserting what the rest of the world thinks.

All of these sound a bit weird to me.

How old are you all?

Place marking to show DH in the morning and have a good chuckle at all the pearl clutching.

We're also a play fighting couple, usually preceded by a hearty cry of "POWER" before one or the other of us pins their opponent to the bed.

Admittedly it doesn't happen as much now we're abit older!

It's OK when you're 12-14 years of age. (Or younger.) Any older than that and it's a bit naff to be honest. Also, as a man is physically stronger than a woman, it's inevitable that the woman will get hurt. I find grown adults 'play fighting' rather disturbing tbh.

I think people need to live a little! Me and my partner ALWAYS do this! It’s hilarious. I guess not everyone has the same sense of humour though!

A teatowel is my preferred weapon of choice.

Tell my partner that. He comes off worse than me the majority of the time. It’s not disturbing. It’s not something you would do, but it’s very common. It’s funny.. maybe live a little and try it sometime! 🥱

Nah, no thanks. I'm an adult... And as for it being 'very common.' No-one I know does it. It sounds a bit pathetic actually.

Excellent choice - allows for a quick getaway!

Probs cos everyone is just as boring as you 🤣

I'd find it weird to see an adult couple play fighting in front of others as id assume it had a sexual edge to it.

Normal or not for you it must've made your friend feel awkward. Just as rude as kissing/cuddling your DH while she's the third person in the room.

I play fight with my siblings, and some of my friends, and if I had a partner, I'd play fight with them too. It's funny how different people are on this! I thought everyone liked a play fight once in a while!

In the confines of their own home, who are they actually bothering! I doubt people play fight in public!

Me and my DP sometimes tickle each other and pretend spar. We are not being immature, like badly behaved children, nor are we tedious or annoying to YOU...unless you're peeping through my windows!

Don't get me wrong I wouldn't go as far as actual pain or dead leg but a little jesting is fun and ends in big long cuddles and lots of laughter. Why be so mean if it brings others joy.

This. It's a bit odd full stop, for adults to 'play fight,' but it's very weird attention-seeking behaviour to do it in front of other people. WTF?

Bet these people snog in public too for attention, and look around to see if people are looking. 🙄 Probably scream loudly during sex too, to make sure people can hear them. 😆 Like 'hey everybody, I'm getting a shag!'

Then when people don't coo all over them and think their behaviour is endearing and 'cool,' they get called stuffy and boring. 🙄

This. ^ In spades.

But that's very different to punching and giving dead arms

We wrestle but we don't hurt each other. I'm surprised your DH would openly punch you in front of people.

@FrazzledHippy We shout ‘SPEAR’ if either one of us is standing unawares near the bed or sofa and then tackle them.

Yep play fight with DH and the teenager although these days I "come off worse" because he's 5" taller and 3kg heavier than me 😂

I even play fight with the dog......,,

This. It's a bit odd full stop, for adults to 'play fight,' but it's very weird attention-seeking behaviour to do it in front of other people. WTF?

I remember reading something about James Corden saying he wrote the play fighting into Gavin and Stacey between Smithy and Ruth because it was such a strange thing to do as adults and made the other characters uncomfortable.

We wouldn’t go to the point of a dead arm or hurting each other, but we wrestle and play fight, and have banter and mock arguments. We have to make a bit of an effort to mask up and pretend to be adults in public, because it is a bit much. And we tone it down a lot in front of the dc.

It’s a very loving, supportive and respectful relationship. It’s really important to have play.

DD does this with DD20 and DS22. "I'm gonna punch you, POW, take that" etc etc. It gives me a headache 😂. I think they do it because they are all ND and find intimacy hard and so this is how they touch each other affectionately - iyswim 😂

I can’t imagine wanting to hit people and give them dead legs. I know small boys do it, and sometimes teens when trying to flirt, but I don’t know any adults who do this (at least not in front of people). I don’t think it’s “boring” or “pearl clutching” to not get your entertainment from punching and hitting when you are a grown ass adult. Play a game, read a book, have a game of squash, watch a film, discuss the economy, have sex etc. These things aren’t “boring”. People who aren’t hitting each other aren’t spending their time watching paint dry, they are doing stuff that’s actually fun. If it’s flirty/sexual then stop doing in front of your siblings ffs. In public it’s at best, tedious attention seeking. If your were little children your mum would tell you to stop or send to outside.