Well, not all women hate sports; it's what it represents (in our mind by way of our emotions) that we dislike. Because we misunderstand the role sport plays in our man's life, we feel shut out, like we have to compete for their attention. The bottom line: Watching sports pleases men. Forget the "Why?" But with a little clarity on his part, she will come to appreciate this fact.
When your partner interrupts the game, instead of shouting, "You're driving me crazy with your interruptions," pause and think about your damaging words. Your wife could interpret this to mean anything from "he doesn't like the way I stack the dishes" to "he hates the way I make love."
Women notoriously fill in the blanks.
It takes discipline to harness the reins of your mental horse, but doing anything less leads to disastrous and broken relationships.
If you catch the tail of that horse, ask yourself, "What is it I really mean? What is it I really want?" It may be that you simply want to finish watching the basketball game.
Here's where you can borrow a page from the Masters, who advised us to be truthful, helpful and kind in every communication. WOW! Easier said than done.
But you're going to give it a try. Why? Because when "mama's happy, everybody's happy."
Okay. Here goes:
Alice: "Excuse me Ted. Did you (fill in the blank)?"
Ted: "Honey, I'd really like to finish watching the game." (TRUE) And I'd like to sit down with you just as soon as it's over to talk about your day. (HELPFUL) Would you have any objection to that?" (KIND)
Now, unless your wife is a psychopath, her response would go something like this… Blink, Blink, Blink. This is your wife's brain responding to new and previously unseen behavior.
Alice: "Sure. I'll just be in the kitchen getting us a snack, and then I'll join you."
Magic!
Start taking the reins of your horse and know that you are the rider.
P.S. Men may start disliking sports when they read about Coach Larry Brown leaving the Pistons. Rumors abound that Brown wanted out to coach for the Knicks, but his comments this morning in USA Today conflict with that picture. What do you think?
photo credit: DeusXFlorida via photopin cc
