Five Moods to Know to Ensure A Happy Home
by Tara Pringle Jefferson
Sometimes, you just need to be left alone. You need your space.
Even in the best of twosomes, there are times when you don’t want to hear your significant other yapping in the background. It’s not personal – it’s just who you are and how you deal in certain situations.
And during those times, sometimes the best thing your spouse can do is to understand and do their best to make “peace and quiet” happen. Here are five moods to know and learn to make the peace in your house last just a little longer:
1. Night owl or early riser. Is your spouse someone who hops out of bed every morning, ready to face the day, or does it take them an hour or so to be “normal”? Are you yawning and ready for bed at 11 p.m., when they act like they just got their second wind? If your spouse is chipper in the morning, but beat by 7 p.m., then maybe you need to have your serious discussions over a bowl of Frosted Flakes.
2. Right when they get home from work. Are they usually crabby after a long day at work and need a moment to decompress before diving into the evening chores? If I’ve learned nothing else from being married 3.5 years, it’s that my husband needs 15 minutes of uninterrupted “him time” when he gets home from work or he will be cranky. I give him his space and then when I ask for his help getting the kids into bed, he’s much more eager.
3. When the game (or their favorite show) is on. Are they completely engrossed with the TV? Instead of pouting because they can’t focus on you, give them that 30-minutes to themselves and occupy yourself with something else. We both have “our things” we like to do that the other has no interest in. I like to read my food magazines (don’t judge) and he likes football. When he sees the new issue of Everyday Food on the counter, he knows that I will need 45 minutes that evening to read it and mark up the recipes I like. If it’s 3 p.m. on Sunday, I know there’s probably a game on.
4. Right after sex. Some people are cuddlers. Some people are knocked out after sex. If you haven’t already, learn your spouse’s default attitude in a post-nookie haze.
5. After they receive bad news. Do they usually want to be comforted or is space the thing they desire most? If they usually crave their space after a big blow, grant it to them but be ready with a comforting word or gesture when they want to talk.
BMWK family, what “moods” do you have to watch out for in your spouse?
Tara Pringle Jefferson is a freelance writer, blogger and PR professional living in Ohio with her husband and two kids. She’s taking over the world, one blog post at a time, over at The Young Mommy Life (www.theyoungmommylife.com), where she talks about issues pertaining to young moms everywhere.
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