My friend and his new wife had just finished their first dinner in their new home. She spent a good amount of time preparing the meal so it was perfect. After dinner he went and sat in front of the TV. Then he said it: “My mom would have had everything cleaned up by now.”
As you can imagine, he immediately had an angry wife. The vase just barely missed his head, shattering on the wall behind him. I asked him if the vase was a warning shot or if she actually meant to hit him. “Oh, she definitely meant to hit me,” he said. Over 20 years later, they are more than happily married. One of the reasons for their happy marriage is he stopped saying things like that.
There are things a husband says that lead straight to an angry wife. While some depend on the context, others just need to leave our vocabulary altogether. Whether you have a happy marriage will depend on how you communicate. It’s not always about saying the right things; sometimes it’s about not saying the wrong things. Here are 20 things wives hate hearing their husbands say.
Disconnected
Each of these communicates that we are disconnecting from them or leaving them to fend for themselves when it comes to meeting the needs and responsibilities of the kids.
“I’m going out. I need some me time.” There’s nothing wrong with the occasional me time, but it does cost her. Make sure she is okay before you go, and that you are also doing the same for her.
“Huh?” You’re disengaged from or, at least, not tuning into her.
“I’ll do it later.” What she hears, whether you mean it or not, is she’s not important to you.
“Nothing” or (nothing). She wants to know what you are thinking and feeling. Nothing communicates nothing.
“I’m working late again tonight.” Again, there’s nothing wrong with occasionally working late, but when it becomes frequent, she will assume you are choosing work over your family.
Condescending
Our wives are our partners, and these comments make them feel at best, unappreciated, and at worst that we think they are inferior.
“Let me explain this to you in a way you can understand.” or “It’s easy …” In other words, you are saying she is not as smart as you.
“You spent how much?” Fiscal responsibility is important, and couples need to come to agreements, but this belittles her ability to make a decision.
“You’ve got it easy.” Essentially, you are belittling her struggles. It may look easy or easier, but until you’ve walked in her shoes, you can’t know.
“Well, then why don’t you (proposed solution to her problem)?” Most of the time she wants your empathy, not your solutions. Assume she is smart enough to figure it out.
“I’m paying for it.” Your money is her money too, no matter whose name is on the paycheck. A statement like this makes her feel like you are exerting power over her.
Invalidating
These statements communicate to her that what she is saying and feeling doesn’t have any merit. More than anything, wives want to be known, understood and empathized with. These statements are dismissive.
“Relax!” She may be overreacting, but at least some of her feelings are valid, and a reprimand rather than an ear is the last thing she needs.
“Is it your time of the month?” You might as well tell her she is crazy and laugh at her.
“How many times do we have to talk about this?” As many times as it takes until it is resolved. Otherwise, you are communicating that your pride is more important than she is.
“I can’t do anything right.” If she’s overly critical, this is not the way to communicate it. All she is going to hear is that you can’t take responsibility, suggestions or critique.
“And here it comes …” If she is saying something over and over again, it’s more important to get to the root of it rather than dismissing her point of view as a broken record. Deal with it, and maybe it won’t come up again.
Devaluing
One of the most important things we can do as a husband is to make our wives feel valuable. These comments achieve the opposite.
“What’s for dinner?” Don’t assume dinner is automatically hers to make; otherwise, she will feel taken for granted and possibly subservient.
“Wow. The house is a mess.” This is a passive-aggressive statement that casts blame and judgment.
“She’s hot.” You are telling your wife she isn’t pretty enough and that you wished she looked like that girl.
“You know I love you. I don’t need to say it.” Yes, you do, and she’s not being needy by wanting you to say it.
“Leave me alone. You’re always nagging.” You are telling her that if anything is bothering her, she should keep it to herself. {eoa}
B.J. Foster is a married father of two. As director of content creation, he utilizes his experience in the corporate world, politics, nonprofits and over 15 years of working with adolescents.
This article originally appeared at allprodad.com.
Joseph Mattera 
BJ Foster 
Shelby Bowen