Jason and Jenny were sitting on their couch in the living room.
Jenny stared at the back of her husband’s daily newspaper, wondering if the dreaded thing was glued to his face.
“How can anyone read so much about the weather? Oh well, at least he’s not complaining about his work again,” Jenny thought.
“You know what the problem with all this stupid talk about global warming is,” Jason snorted.
Notice the lack of a question mark. Oh no! Her husband was not asking a question. He was about to unleash another lengthy opinion, which he believes is a revelation.
“What’s that, dear?” Jenny sighed.
She knew from experience that trying to avoid the conversation would be a waste of time, so why fight the inevitable?
Jason finally lowered his newspaper as he spoke. “You see, it’s all those bleeding-heart liberals that misrepresent all the data. For example, they claim that the glaciers in Alaska are melting due to human influence. That’s absolutely RIDICULOUS! You know what that is? It’s a flat out blatant lie! Let me explain what’s really going on. You see…”
“Lucky me,” Jenny thought, “I get the full explanation … again!”
“You know, honey, I have a good idea,” Jenny interrupted. “Why don’t we go to the lake and get some sunshine? You can tell me all about how the liberals are twisting the facts to scare us into wasting billions of hardworking taxpayer’s dollars on the way.”
“What?!” Jason exploded. “Drive all the way to the lake now, on a Saturday?! That will take at least 40 minutes with all the damn traffic! I tell you, this city is growing far too big. It’s a zoo out there. Can you believe it took me 30 minutes just to drive…”
Jenny was sorry she asked. What was she thinking?! What on earth possessed her to even suggest such a crazy notion as relaxing in nature on a beautiful Saturday afternoon?!
And although all Jason’s complaining instantly drained all her desire to do anything with him now, she somehow couldn’t resist the urge to irk him some more.
“We used to go to the lake every weekend when we were first married,” she quickly slipped in when Jason took a rare breath during his rant about how corrupt politicians were allowing big business to destroy the city.
“That was before half the world decided to move here!” Jason offered as an excuse.
“Every Californian and their mother are moving here and snatching up all the pieces of property they can find. Now traffic is terrible, and the housing market is totally overpriced and overinflated. It’s impossible for the hardworking middle class to afford …”
She was tired of listening to yet another litany of complaints from her husband. Then suddenly, Jenny came up with an idea.
“I know what we can do!” she interrupted her ranting husband. “Let’s go see that movie with Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton. You know, the one about a couple that decides to sell their little apartment in New York, and….”
Jason interrupted her: “Are you crazy? Do you know how long we’ll have to wait in line just to park ?!”
Jenny knew what was coming – there would be a long tirade about the outrageous price of movie tickets, popcorn, and soda, followed by complaints about people talking loudly on their mobile phones during the movie, how uncomfortable the seats are, not to mention the sticky floors!
She decided to save herself from the long sermon by agreeing with her husband. “Yeah, it’s crazy,” she stated.
“That’s right!” Jason gleamed approvingly. “How about we wait till it comes out on video? That way we can watch it in the comfort of our own home, save money, and avoid waiting in those long lines at the theater.”
“Sounds great, Dear,” Jenny responded disappointedly. “Why don’t you finish your paper while I work in the garden for a while?”
“Sounds like a plan. Take your time because I have to squeeze in a few hours of work to be ready for that unnecessary Monday’s meeting with my boss and his partner. If you want, we can watch the big game together. It starts at 7:00,” Jason responded.
Jenny smiled graciously, doing her best to conceal her frustration as she thought:
“NOT ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT WATCHING ANOTHER BORING FOOTBALL GAME! HE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY! I CAN’T STAND IT!”
Feeling like a volcano was about to erupt inside her, Jenny decided to make up an excuse to get out of the house.
She managed to convince her husband that her friend Sally needed her help. “I’ll be back for the second half, maybe,” Jenny told Jason.
“Suit yourself!” Jason chuckled. “I can’t imagine anything more boring than sitting around chit-chatting about who knows what that crazy woman yaps about.”
Jenny didn’t bother to respond to his criticism about Sally because that would make Jason complain even more. She simply snatched her purse from the hall closet and headed outside through the sliding back door.
As on many other occasions, as she left her home, Jenny’s eyes filled up with tears as she felt a range of emotions running through her body.
She felt anger because Jason was very negative all the time; sadness because he has turned into a very sour person and she misses the fun and kind guy that she married.
She feared that her marriage will eventually crumble, and she also felt guilty because even though she loves her husband, Jenny is so dissatisfied in her relationship that she doesn’t want to spend time with Jason anymore.
So what can Jenny do when her husband is driving her crazy?
What can she do to keep her cool and get what she wants from him?
She would love that he stopped complaining about everything, that he cared about her needs and that he was interested in doing fun things together, like they did in the early years of their relationship.
Are you in a situation where you are frustrated with your partner?
Maybe yours is not a complainer, but sometimes—or often—his behavior simply drives you crazy.
If that’s the case, and you are having problems in your relationship because of your partner’s behavior, there are some important steps that you can follow to cool down and help resolve the situation.
Unfortunately, most women feel frustrated, and give in or give up on their partners and their relationship because they don’t know how to handle it. Some even wonder if their relationship is doomed to failure. This isn’t true.
Problems in your relationship are the raw materials for deeper understanding, compassion, communication, and connection—all the ingredients that can promote your and your partner’s healing and growth as individuals and as a couple.
Here is a FREE 5-step guide to help you keep your cool and get what you want when your partner is driving you crazy!
Enjoy!
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