Twelve years ago, I was 44 years old, married 17 years, with a 15-year-old son. I’d been through many death and life cycles in my marriage. I was about to go through another one. My wife and I were in the kitchen, talking about what we should get my son for Christmas. She asked for my opinion. I brought my […]
You feel it. Something’s changed between you and her. She’s distant. Cold. You have a nagging sense that your relationship is not sustainable. You wonder “How long can we keep doing this?” You replay moments. You look for signs. You’re afraid it’s over. But here’s the truth — your biggest problem isn’t her silence, aggravation, or other behaviors. It’s something […]
It’s late at night. You’re in the bedroom with your partner. You begin to share something about a challenge you’ve been having with her. You try to kindly express your point of view. You’ve even rehearsed it. But before you can even finish a few sentences, she interrupts. She talks over you as if your words don’t matter. Does your […]
You love your woman. You want to see her happy, light, and free. So when she tells you about her challenges… you do what seems logical. You jump in to fix it. “Here’s what you should do.” “Why don’t you just…” “Have you tried…?” But instead of being grateful, she seems… annoyed. Has this ever happened to you? When she […]
Your wife is not happy. Her job is frustrating as heck. The kids aren’t listening to her. And you’re not enough for her. Just hearing all this makes my stomach cringe. To be married to a woman laden with problems is overwhelming for a guy. Often his natural response is to take on the burden of her unhappiness and compound […]
“I don’t put the dishes away. “I don’t spend enough time with the kids. “She doesn’t feel like I’m on her team. “It’s endless. Sometimes I wonder why she even stays married to me,” Jack says. Does your wife complain about you? “Why does she stay married to you? Have you asked her?” I say. Jack takes a deep breath. […]
“You don’t hear me.” “Why don’t you take me seriously?” “You don’t listen.” Does your wife say any of these things to you? It’s not uncommon for a guy to hear something similar from his wife. And there’s a good reason why. As men, we often struggle to keep up with our partner’s words. We feel like she’s verbose and […]
Every married guy has been here. What about you? Your wife asks you your opinion on something – the curtains, the placemats, or a school thing with your kid. So you give your opinion. I like the blue curtains. The red placemats look great. Sure, let’s get a tutor for Billy. And then she does what she wants, as if […]
Dave’s head is spinning. His wife just told him that she doesn’t feel like he’s on her team. “Baby,” he says, “I work 10 hours a day, I do everything I can for us to have a good life.” “Yes, that’s fine,” she says. “But I don’t feel like you love me.” “What did I do wrong?” He asks her. […]
Ok, warning. Bad wife joke. There are two times in his life when a man doesn’t understand women. Before marriage and after marriage. True or false? Funny or tragic? You decide. For me, it tends towards the tragic. That’s due to the depth of suffering I see in men struggling to understand their female partners. When that partner is your […]
