Part 1: 10 Ways to Change Your Man into a Grump

Women can do a whole lot of damage in their marriage without even realising it and when our husband all of a sudden seems to go all moody, we wonder why.

‘Ten Ways to Change Your Man into a Grump’ was one of the topics on our women’s TV show one evening and it was really popular. One man contacted us having watched the show and begged us to send him a copy of the show so his wife could watch it, poor guy. He must have been having a really tough time at home.

I’m not going to cover all 10 things in this one post as it will be too long, so I’ll cover one at a time. Of course, they are many more things that make a man grumpy. These are just a few.

Here’s the first one:

Find one flaw the drives you particularly crazy, and nag him about it at least once a day. This is most effective when done right before bedtime.

Boy can we women nag. If it’s not the toilet seat that’s been left up, it’s his dirty clothes that have been left on the floor-sometimes right next to the laundry basket. We seem to think that by repeating ourselves a thousand times, it will get the job done and faster. This might work with your child, but with your husband it’s a big no-no. He will feel that you are treating him like a baby and nagging will even have the opposite effect. He’ll dig his heels in even more and not do something, just because you’re giving him a headache about it.

Do you need help sometimes? Of course. Is it wrong to ask for his help? Of course not, but if you ask once or twice and he hasn’t helped, leave him be and just do it yourself. Does it really take long to bend down and pick up the clothes? Probably a few seconds at the most. Stop with the expectations.

I’ve noticed that when I don’t nag, my husband offers to help me with things, even when I don’t need him to. He will see that I’m feeling a bit tired and starts helping me to get the job done faster.

Also, if you nag right before bedtime, you’ll remind him of his mum, so how is he supposed to feel romantic towards you? Then you wonder why you seem to have a block of ice in your bed rather than that sweet, romantic man you married.