More things men don't tell women
"There's really nothing I want to tell my wife but don't. We pretty much talk about anything. I can talk to her about troubles on my mind, things about her that annoy me and the things I love about her. This is why we are such good friends and one of the reasons why I asked her to marry me."
--Danny Riordan, 27
"I don't tell my wife what I really think about her cooking. I find it tasteless and bland and night after night, we eat the same things, with very slight variations. But she puts a lot of effort into feeding our family and so I don't say anything about it. However, I've been known to surprise her with takeout or dinner at a restaurant on many, many occasions!"
--Howard Van Os, 36
"Whenever my wife buys new clothes, I want to ask her where she intends to store these clothes. Her closet is overflowing as it is with outfits from the early '90s that she'll never wear again. I really think she should part ways with these clothes. If I can get by with four pairs of pants and five shirts, why can't she? And one more thing, why is she always borrowing my shirts?"
--Jeff Mackie, 30
"It's not so much specific things that I tend to hold back, but more entire subjects or concepts. Talking about my needs in the relationship seems to be quite taboo unless she asks directly. Otherwise I feel I come across as selfish or not thinking of her first. Also if I'm bored with or not interested in something we're doing 'together,' I generally bite my tongue instead of complaining or telling her."
--David Johnson, 36
"What don't I tell my wife? A lot of things! I don't tell her that I hate helping to clean the house. I don't tell her that I don't want to go shopping with her. I don't tell her that I'd rather watch the hockey game than go out to dinner with another couple. I don't tell her that the amount of time she spends talking on the phone drives me crazy! I find that this approach has worked very well for us -- we're still happily married!"
Robert Sherrett, 51
* Some names have been changed to protect the identities of the innocent.
Read more:
• 8 things no one ever tells you about being married
• What we miss most about being single
• How to get your spouse to clean the house
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