I hope you each have used your manners this past week, and if it's not a household habit, that it is on the way to becoming one. I actually asked Mike if I say "please" and "thank you" enough to make him aware of how much I appreciate him. If you're not sure, just ask your spouse, and allow him or her to know that you will listen to what they say without becoming upset.
Now, on to this week's challenge. It's more of a communication thing (if you can't tell, I like working on communication...).
I read big girls don't whine: Getting On with the Great Life God Intends by Jan Silvious a while back. I picked it up at a yard sale for dirt cheap. I was flipping through it tonight and I came across a little blurb called a Big Girl Truth. It said that our husbands (or wives, if you're a guy reading this) can't know what we're thinking. We must speak it out loud. I know for a fact that I sometimes become frustrated with Mike when I'm trying to say something and he's just not understanding. In my head, I'm saying things perfectly clear, but he just can't know what's in my head. Just like I don't know what's in his. Then, I think back and realize that I could have stated something more clearly.
So, this week, try really hard to say exactly what's on your mind. No mincing words. Speak clearly and concisely. Let him (or her) know exactly what you're thinking to avoid any confusion.
In Dr. Kevin Leman's Have a New Husband by Friday book, he also said that men do not like to use or listen to many words, so say things in as few words as possible. Also, remember that men are wired to be the problem solvers, so when you talk to them, unless you tell them up front that you only want them to listen, they will try to solve the problem for you and offer you a solution when you are through speaking.
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