The wife of my husband's co-worker and i have been spending time together - She has a baby about six weeks older than Jackson. She is often saying things about how she had to train her husband and how men need to be trained. If they want a "something-something," they have to do certain things in order to keep their wives happy, yadda, yadda.
Does this seem right? Do you feel that you've trained your husband? Do you withhold "the goods" if he doesn't take out the trash or do whatever it is you want him to?
Re: "Men Need to be Trained"
Are some men "trained" by their wives? Maybe. But I think it's more likely that they are trained to keep from getting bitten by the shark in the house.
Personally, I think it's much easier to get what you want by treating DH incredibly well. So no training needed in our house, but somehow we both are getting our way.
Oh and there is no way I would withhold sex as a way of getting back! What's the point of that? Then I'd be missing out too
This completely.
Agree with this totally. Aren't you a Dr. Laura fan, too? Reading her books has really changed my perspective about how to treat my hubby... I should read it again because I've been a real witch lately!
Noel - August 2010
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Yes and no. Training implies that it's a one-way street with the one doing the training in charge.
But I believe that in any relationship there is a learning curve where we learn what our partners like and vice versa, and we figure out compromises regarding all the details of daily life. And when you have a baby, all of a sudden you have a whole slew of things to learn and figure out again, just like when you were newlyweds.
So while my DH is not "trained", we have figured out how to work together and cobble together a parenting style and a way for our family to work that suits us.
Mom and I talk that way, but rarely and usually in a joking tone. For example, she's found that it has to be my dad's idea in order for certain things to get done, so she's figured out how to convince him things are his idea. DH has definitely changed certain habits since we have gotten married, but so have I. And he's gotten less picky.
I never withhold sex for something like this. Or anything really. I think that's a dumb way to "train" a man.
I think Jeni said it best-
I definitely don't withhold sex for him not doing things a certain way- but if he is being an a$$ he is definitely a lot less likely to get anything out of me-
This seems extremely weird to me. If my husband doesn't do something I want or expect him to do (and vice verse), we talk about it
A marriage isn't a power struggle and IMO women who say things like this like to think they have some kind of power over their husbands
DS 3.12.08
DD 7.11.09
DD 8.01.13
The funny thing is this lady is always talking about how much she enjoys Dr. Laura's books. lol
Which books by her would you recommend? I've yet to read any and definitely don't agree with this friend's line of thinking.
I should mention that she's also one of those, "Oh hell no, girl!" people when I vent about frustrations with DH. That shakin' her head, finger snappin', this is how it needs to be done, etc.
Not sure about her yet - We've only hung out a handful of times and I like her, we just have different attitudes towards... everything.
Exactly. If one of us does something the other isn't entirely happy about, we discuss it like adults. And there is no withholding sex. That's absurd and makes no sense to me.
I don't feel that I've trained him, I just think that after 8 years he's learned what will and won't fly with me. Same goes for me being "trained" for him.
As for withholding sex, if he's being a plonker and then expecting to get some from me he's going to be disappointed. Not because I do it as punishment, I am truly not in the mood because of his attitude. I need more than physical contact to get in the mood and dealing with a 4th child is not a turn on.
DD#1~8/17/96------DS~10/24/05
That is nutso.
This, especially the bolded. Who wants to be married to their mother?
This.
Though just because you have found compromises doesn't follow that the world will see it from that way.. my ILs don't. They only see that he is always getting things for me when we are at their house so I don't have to use my MIL's kitchen. Side note: when were dating I dared to fix a sandwich and was later blamed for a mess that I evidently didn't clean up (but since I didn't touch the flour I fail to see how it was my mess) and swore off ever putting myself in a position to get yelled at by his mother for that again since she tried to make me feel 3 inches tall.