Black And Married With Kids

Posted by TheDad on May 6th, 2008 in Home, On the Web, Relationships

I saw this over on msn.com and thought it made some good points. I’ll post 1-5 today and 5-10 tomorrow. Check it out:

10 Steps to Being a Better Husband
Turn off the autopilot and start feeding your marriage.

1) Take an interest in something your wife is really passionate about.
This can be especially tough for guys, because we generally feel that if someone else has interests that differ from ours, they’re morons. It’s not an easy task, and being able to show interest in something that matters to someone you love shows growth—and that’s terrifying. Good, but terrifying. Accomplish this and you’ll make her feel better about herself, and you get better insight into what makes her tick.
This is one I’m still working on, yall may have to pray for me LOL

2) Put the kids to bed.
Once a week give her the night off and put the kids to bed by yourself. Let her take a hot bath, read a book, or check gossip on the Web and forget about the kids. I’m always amazed how happy this makes my wife. It ranks somewhere between low-end jewelry and a Hawaiian vacation.
Since the mom’s been a lot busier lately I’ve started giving the kiddies baths and putting them to bed every night and I can agree that it has provided me with extra brownie points. Who knew! The fact that she is busy around this time does help with our 6 year old who before would refuse for anyone but TheMom to put her to bed.

3) Learn to apologize.
This is the easiest one, and the hardest one. A marriage is a marathon, and we all fly off the handle too quick or let our temper get the best of us sometimes. When you’re wrong, it’s best to step up and apologize. It’s amazing how fast “I’m sorry” can defuse a stupid argument about something you can’t even remember.
I use this one, not sure if I get those results though, normally when I apologize instead of defusing the argument she normally doesn’t believe that I mean it then I have to break out the “Just Relax” LOL ha ha (some of you will remember that from a previous post)

4) Thank her for putting up with you.
Every once in a while, just thank her for putting up with you. That’s all you have to say. Don’t launch into a list of your faults, or the story about coming home two days late from that Vegas bachelor party. Just thank her, and let her know that you understand that you’re not the easiest person in the world to live with.
I know some dudes that just have too much pride for this one.

5) Clean up after yourself.
Take care of that late night snack or morning cereal bowl. Setting them in the sink is one thing, but go that extra mile and actually put them in the dishwasher. After all, no one enjoys scraping bacon dip off a bowl that’s been sitting too long or smelling the chili from the night before. A beer bottle on the counter the next morning is even worse.
Errrr, Ok, I guess

BMWK family, what do you think about the first five? I think it’s some good stuff. Fellas would you try it? Ladies would it get your man any extra points? Are you already doing these things in your relationship?