Respect in Public

Want to know a secret?  As one man I surveyed for my book For Women Only put it, “The male ego is the most fragile thing on the planet.”  Many women I speak to are puzzled by the “over sensitivity” of their man to teasing.  They truly view their husband as being a confident and capable man and miss the hidden but very prevalent feelings of insecurity that almost every man lives with.  Husbands who normally have a wonderful sense of humor can be deeply hurt by what the wife thinks of as a harmless teasing comment in public. It’s safe to assume that all public teasing is perceived by men as a putdown.

Fortunately, we wives have the incredible opportunity to build our man up by just taking the time to honestly praise him in front of others.  The next time you are with your husband, in his earshot, mention to a girlfriend how he handled a specific situation successfully, like how he gave up watching his favorite news show to play with your son or that he thoughtfully let you sleep in on Saturday.  It will make your husband feel appreciated and affirmed.  Trust me; it will put an extra bounce in his step ALL day!