Dear Dr. Fulbright,
How can I break out of the “Good girls don’t do that” trap and realize that if you never push your boundaries, you’ll keep having the same old sex forever?
— Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,
Most people grow up with a lot of negative messages about sex, for example, they’re told whom to have sex with and under what circumstances. Anything outside of that recipe can be scary, guilt-ridden and wrong. At the same time, it’s titillating because we’re suddenly “bad” if we deviate.

When it comes to sex, the “good girl” versus “bad girl” labels are just that — societal labels. They’re just a negative way of capturing different degrees of one’s willingness to experiment sexually or push the sexual relations envelope. What works for one isn’t going to work for another, and what’s pleasurable for one is going to be a turn off for the next.

So it’s important to realize that we’re all sexually unique and into different things, and it is such a disservice to yourself (and your relationship) to not be at least somewhat open-minded to trying different things or find out what’s best for you. It’s perfectly healthy for people to test their boundaries with different types of sex play and adventures – and to discover what is most sexually gratifying for them. What other people put on you, like the “good girl” message, is a mere reflection of their own issues, attitudes, and discomforts with sexuality. It is not your burden to bear.

Realize, too, that avoiding the sexual rut helps people to experience new sensations, new forms of pleasure, and helps them to maintain monogamy.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

Dear Dr. Fulbright,
I’m a 54-year-old man, divorced and dating again, and find that older women who are into menopause or post-menopause have different attitudes about sex and their own sexuality.  When I was a teen, I was the “hunter.” Now, in middle age and single, I find myself being “the hunted.”  Women who can no longer have children also seem to be more sexual now in their later years. Your thoughts?  —Mark

Dear Mark,
There are a couple of major things going on when it comes to older women being seemingly more “aggressive” with their sexual relationships. First, with some widowed or divorced women, their quest is to find a partner for their later years. In some cases, there is the need or hope for financial support. For others, fear of loneliness is a driving factor. Knowing that the pickings get slimmer with every passing year, they’re going to be that much more assertive with the men they come across.

Second, between education, media programming, and simply the times, many older women are embracing their sexuality as never before. They’re not afraid to see themselves as sexual — and flaunt it. They love the fact that they no longer have to worry about getting pregnant, PMS, menstruation, birth control or raising children. In so many ways, they’re free when it comes to responding to their sexual urgings.

Do you have a question about sex? If so, foxnewshealth.com wants to hear from you! E-mail your questions to drmanny@foxnews.com

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

Dear Mr. Jackson:

The occasion of your child’s death is a moment when all parents, including me, offer you every wish for strength and God’s healing power in the face of your loss.  Any father or mother can sense the tragedy it is to lose a son or daughter, yet no one who has not suffered such a loss can truly know your pain.

I would write no more than this were it not for the fact that you have used the occasion of your son’s passing and the attendant publicity to also promote your own business ventures, including your new record label.  This makes me feel it important, as a psychiatrist with access to the media, to reach out to you, with other parents and their adult children “listening” in. 

The foundation of our nation assures each person in this great country of certain inalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Great leaders and courageous soldiers have safeguarded these rights for our citizens, and they would make a decent Bill of Rights for parents raising children, too.  Fathering a child, you see, means far more than participating in a child’s conception and witnessing his birth; it means doing everything possible to optimize that child’s life.  This requires many acts of love and self-sacrifice. It pays immeasurable dividends in the growing self-confidence and autonomy you witness developing in the child you care so much about.

Somehow, perhaps because of pain suffered in your own early life experience, you stole that God-given potential for healthy development from your son.  You have admitted lashing him with a belt or a switch when he failed to perform dance steps to your standards.  According to him, you called him ugly when acne affected him as a teenager.  You brutalized him by placing your own pathologic need for control and for “success” above his needs for security and comfort and self-esteem.  In a very real way, you buried enough of his love for himself that he was no longer comfortable with his race or age or sexuality or even his great fortune.  Trying to please a father who beats you with a belt for missing a dance step will do that to you.

Now, even when saying goodbye to your son, you think of yourself and your business.  You are deprived of a purer life and love.  This makes me feel badly for you, but feel worse for the son you injured so deeply. 

Some will see you only as a monster.  I know that monsters are made through cruelties suffered in life; they never spring fully-formed onto the planet.

In your quiet moments, I hope that you can dig up the roots of the emotional and physical violence you visited upon your child.  One of the wonderful things about still being on the planet is that you always have some chance to win back the potential for real humanity buried inside you.  

Here’s a hint:  Success or failure in becoming human isn’t measured in record sales or reflected in the lenses of television cameras.  You have to look much, much deeper.

Dear Yvonne,
I want to explore more of my sexuality and fulfill some fantasies, but I get nervous about it. How do you overcome that? 
                  —Donna

Dear Donna,
First, educate yourself. Knowledge is power and the more you know about what you plan to explore, the more confident you’ll feel. Books, videos, expert reassurances, and hearing other’s stories can also bolster your sense of assuredness in pursuing your passions.

Second, realize that you need to be patient with yourself. Your nervousness will subside with time, especially as you gain experience and feel savvier with what you’re doing.

Finally, make sure that, when necessary, you’re exploring your sexuality with a person(s) who provide you with physical and emotional safety. You don’t need anybody judging you or adding to the performance pressure you’re putting on yourself.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

Dear Yvonne,
My wife admitted to making out with a girl in high school and she said it turned her on.  She also refuses to fondle herself because it makes her feel like a lesbian.  Am I married to a lesbian?
—Greg

Dear Greg,
Unless your wife is in the closet, you are not married to a lesbian. Many males and females experiment with members of the same sex in their youth because of sexual curiosities, opportunities and desires. It’s part of their sexual learning experience, and may be part of a questioning period for those sorting through their sexual orientation.

By sorting through the significance of this experience for your wife, you could ask her to share what it was about the experience turned her on. The taboo nature of the make out session may have been more of a turn on than the fact that it was with another female or a particular individual. Likewise, you can reassure her that pleasuring oneself doesn’t make you gay or lesbian. If she’s willing, explore why she holds this masturbation fear and what kind of messaging about sex from various sources may be holding her back from fully embracing her sexual nature.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

It’s one of the best and most honorable questions a man can ask: How do I talk to my child about sex?Fathers regularly ask me how they can get involved with sex education. They actually want to be that resource for their children, and they need to be; children want them to be.

But talking about sex isn’t always easy for parents. So how do you get started?

Quite frankly, a column can’t do this topic justice. So to start, moms and dads should read a great book on this topic, such as Debra Haffner’s “From Diapers to Dating.” But in a nutshell, parents need to do the following to create a supportive climate for their children to learn about sexuality.