I've been with the same woman for eight years, and half of that has been as husband and wife. We've been through the paces quite a bit, and at this point I feel very qualified to discuss how to stay on your wife's good side. As any husband will tell you, keeping your wife happy is your most important job, so you need to become extremely skilled at it. I call this job, "being the ultimate politician", because you can never stop doing it, lest you desire a quick and painful end to the relationship, as well as possibly your own financial future!
You've heard of wag the dog, right? It's the political concept that revolves around a small portion of the government manipulating the larger governing body. In the male/female dynamic, however, this means putting a positive spin on almost anything you can. A meal she's prepared, clothes she wears, her opinions, her family, the job she does as a parent...name your subject, you need to spin it. And I don't mean lie about it, but I do mean adjust the mood of your comment so that it comes out sounding more positive than negative. There's a way to do this so that almost everything you say sounds happy and upbeat, and this is tantamount to enjoying a happy marriage. There are other steps you must take, though.
Let her do what she wants! If she wants to take a trip, rearrange the furniture, go out to dinner, buy some clothes for the kids....let her do it. This may get a little pricey, depending on the direction of her desire, but you've still got to give her what she needs. There's no way around this one and there never will be. A happy wife is a woman that feels like she has some freedom. I'm not saying that you should let her sleep with other guys, but I am saying that you need to allow her to do what women do...and sometimes that means a three hour shopping trip! If you're the kind of guy that can't handle writing some big checks here and there, then I suggest you just avoid marriage. All husbands stare at a big balance now and then. It's just part of the job!
Integrate successfully with her family. Her brother may be a loser, her mom might have some sort of addiction, her dad might be painful to talk to...you still have to do it. Keep them all in the flow of things, assuming this doesn't involve breaking any laws. You're never going to get rid of problematic relatives, so you've got to make those connections work. Spend time with them, participate in all the holiday stuff, don't gripe about having to go out of your way here and there, and above all...never show a single ounce of unhappiness around them! The fastest way to produce problems with your wife is to exhibit a bad attitude around her family. So suck it up, you're in this relationship for the long haul...keep it together around the in-laws, big guy!
Master these three lessons and you're probably adding years, if not decades, onto the length of your marriage...and you'll enjoy it more! A happy wife leads to a happy life, any seasoned husband will attest to that. You only get so many days on this little planet, you might as well enjoy them!
You've heard of wag the dog, right? It's the political concept that revolves around a small portion of the government manipulating the larger governing body. In the male/female dynamic, however, this means putting a positive spin on almost anything you can. A meal she's prepared, clothes she wears, her opinions, her family, the job she does as a parent...name your subject, you need to spin it. And I don't mean lie about it, but I do mean adjust the mood of your comment so that it comes out sounding more positive than negative. There's a way to do this so that almost everything you say sounds happy and upbeat, and this is tantamount to enjoying a happy marriage. There are other steps you must take, though.
Let her do what she wants! If she wants to take a trip, rearrange the furniture, go out to dinner, buy some clothes for the kids....let her do it. This may get a little pricey, depending on the direction of her desire, but you've still got to give her what she needs. There's no way around this one and there never will be. A happy wife is a woman that feels like she has some freedom. I'm not saying that you should let her sleep with other guys, but I am saying that you need to allow her to do what women do...and sometimes that means a three hour shopping trip! If you're the kind of guy that can't handle writing some big checks here and there, then I suggest you just avoid marriage. All husbands stare at a big balance now and then. It's just part of the job!
Integrate successfully with her family. Her brother may be a loser, her mom might have some sort of addiction, her dad might be painful to talk to...you still have to do it. Keep them all in the flow of things, assuming this doesn't involve breaking any laws. You're never going to get rid of problematic relatives, so you've got to make those connections work. Spend time with them, participate in all the holiday stuff, don't gripe about having to go out of your way here and there, and above all...never show a single ounce of unhappiness around them! The fastest way to produce problems with your wife is to exhibit a bad attitude around her family. So suck it up, you're in this relationship for the long haul...keep it together around the in-laws, big guy!
Master these three lessons and you're probably adding years, if not decades, onto the length of your marriage...and you'll enjoy it more! A happy wife leads to a happy life, any seasoned husband will attest to that. You only get so many days on this little planet, you might as well enjoy them!