You can't figure out why he can always remember the oil change and when the game is on but he can't remember to pick up flowers every now and then.
I've had a rocky relationship with flowers myself.
When we were first married, Keith used to buy me chocolate truffles. I love chocolate truffles. Especially in the bath.
But then one day he started to buying me flowers. In fact, he vowed, without telling me, that he would buy me flowers every two weeks for six months.
And he did. They started coming like clockwork. He was expecting me to be ecstatic. Romantic. Enthusiastic.
Instead I began to seethe.
And the more flowers came, the more upset I became.
You see, about the time Keith made his pledge to buy me flowers I realized that I had gained ten pounds. I don't know how I did it; it just appeared one day. And I was very sensitive to it.
So when he started bringing me flowers, all I could think was, "he thinks I'm fat so now he won't bring me chocolate."
Pretty stupid, eh?
Fast forward to last week. I was away speaking for a few nights, and the night before I left I was rather distracted. So we didn't--you know.
Then I came home at midnight. So we didn't--you know.
The next night I know he was hoping for it. And normally it would have happened! I like it, too, after all.
But I was tired and grumpy. So we didn't. And neither of us slept well.
The night after that I threw myself into it, we had a good time, and all was well.
The next day he brought me flowers.
Sex flowers. And I thought, why do I get flowers on the days after we make love, and not on the days after we don't?
And I started to get angry again.
After I had come back to earth and realized that men are not actually women, I figured out what the issue was.
Keith is a guy. Guys don't think that deeply. Here is what was going through Keith's head:
"I love my wife. I think I'll buy her flowers."
Isn't that sweet?
Of course, as a woman, this is what I assume is going through his head:
"She made love to me, so she needs to be rewarded. I need to withhold romance and affection when she doesn't perform, and only give it to her when she does, so that she starts acting the way I want her to."
That's not it at all.
Here's the truth: women have this hormone called oxytocin. It's the bonding hormone. It's present when we make love; when we nurse our babies; and lots of other times. It's what makes us affectionate and cuddly.
The only time men have the hormone is after they make love. So they feel really close to us. They feel cuddly. They feel like women!
That's why men are so lovey-duvy the next day. It's not to be manipulative. It's because they honestly feel close to us and affectionate.
Isn't it great the next day after you make love, how he looks after the kids, and hugs you, and does housework even? It's because he feels affirmed as a man. He feels powerful. He feels loving.
I think we women need to stop seeing ulterior motives behind everything our men do and just be grateful when they are affectionate and loving. Isn't that what we've been wanting, anyway?
And realize that this is the way marriage works. When you meet his needs, he starts to meet yours. It's a give and take. But if you're waiting for him to be all affectionate and to be romantic before you make love, it may never happen.
So are you going to wait? Or are you going to do something about it?
I know doing something can be hard. You're not always in the mood. Believe me, I understand. I was there. But I'm not anymore, and you don't have to be, either!
My Download of the Month is a 45 minute talk called Honey, I Don't Have a Headache Tonight. And if you want to feel more in the mood, it will help! And it's just $2!
What about you? Do you have some marriage issue you want to share? Or some advice? Participate in Wifey Wednesday! Just go to your blog and write a post, link back here, and then come back and enter the URL for your post (not for your whole blog) in the Mr. Linky below.
I find myself doing this all the time...reading between the lines and coming up with some crazy reasoning that definitely never crossed my husband's mind. It is so important to take a moment and think it through from his perspective!
Come to think of it, though, I'd probably be willing to slip into a slinky nighty more often if it got me flowers the next day. What does that say about me? Sad!
LOL...I knew why you were mad before you even said it! I would have thought the same thing had my husband done that...lol. Ah, God truly did wire our brains differently. And that is the source of most of our arguments and disagreements...crossed wires.
I would love to get sex flowers...heck, any flowers would be nice!
That being said, my hubby loves me and I know it. He also speaks a different love language than I do...which doesn't often include flowers. Sigh.
About Me: I'm a Christian author of a bunch of books, and a frequent speaker to women's groups and marriage conferences. Best of all, I love homeschooling my daughters, Rebecca and Katie. And I love to knit. Preferably simultaneously.
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I find myself doing this all the time...reading between the lines and coming up with some crazy reasoning that definitely never crossed my husband's mind. It is so important to take a moment and think it through from his perspective!
Come to think of it, though, I'd probably be willing to slip into a slinky nighty more often if it got me flowers the next day. What does that say about me? Sad!