Your wife is not happy. Her job is frustrating as heck. The kids aren’t listening to her. And you’re not enough for her. Just hearing all this makes my stomach cringe. To be married to a woman laden with problems is overwhelming for a guy. Often his natural response is to take on the burden of her unhappiness and compound […]
“You don’t hear me.” “Why don’t you take me seriously?” “You don’t listen.” Does your wife say any of these things to you? It’s not uncommon for a guy to hear something similar from his wife. And there’s a good reason why. As men, we often struggle to keep up with our partner’s words. We feel like she’s verbose and […]
Dave’s head is spinning. His wife just told him that she doesn’t feel like he’s on her team. “Baby,” he says, “I work 10 hours a day, I do everything I can for us to have a good life.” “Yes, that’s fine,” she says. “But I don’t feel like you love me.” “What did I do wrong?” He asks her. […]
Ok, warning. Bad wife joke. There are two times in his life when a man doesn’t understand women. Before marriage and after marriage. True or false? Funny or tragic? You decide. For me, it tends towards the tragic. That’s due to the depth of suffering I see in men struggling to understand their female partners. When that partner is your […]
My client *Jacob is a powerhouse at work, in a field in which his highly specialized legal expertise in corporate mergers is in high demand. But at home, his power wanes. He is like many men I talk with. His wife is distant, and emotionally cold. Intimacy in his marriage is lacking. Lack of sex in a marriage is a […]
You want it. You haven’t had it for a while. In fact, you’re hungry for it. Sometimes, you even feel like you’re at the mercy of it. You want it now. But you know you can’t demand it. You know that demanding will just make it more likely that you won’t get it. Besides, she’s an autonomous independent being. What […]
Vulnerability. It’s a bit of a buzzword in the relationship world these days. Brené Brown speaks about it often. Specifically, how it’s important to “embrace your vulnerability.” Why bother? Why be vulnerable with your wife? Well, if your marriage is on the rocks, pay attention. 90% of divorces in college-educated couples are initiated by the wife. Yes, a staggering number. […]
Every month I hear from several dozen men struggling in their marriage or relationship. They say things like… “I don’t feel close to my wife.” “I’m not happy with my marriage.” “I don’t feel like I can meet her needs.” Do you struggle to meet your partner’s needs? When it comes to your partner’s needs, I offer a huge distinction […]
Ten years ago, I was 44 years old, married 17 years, with a 15-year-old son. I’d been through many death and life cycles in my marriage. I was about to go through another one. My wife and I were in the kitchen, talking about what we should get my son for Christmas. She asked for my opinion. I brought my […]
The holidays can be a super-challenging time for many men. The spending of money on often superfluous gifts. Trying to be “joyful” with your partner when you’re not. The sense of obligation to be on your best behavior. It can all leave a guy dreading the holidays. Yet these are the mere symptoms. The real source of a man’s dread is the sense that […]
