I’m calling all men to listen up.
I’m sure you guys mean well. I know you have the best intentions. I get that your heart is in the right place, but you have it all wrong.
Here’s what I mean. Your wife or girlfriend shares with you how she’s irritated with the kids, bothered by something at work, or had a tiff with a close friend, and you immediately launch into “Fix-it Mode.” It seems like most men feel the need to patch us up like we’re a wounded soldier.
We don’t really need you to solve our problem–we simply need you to just listen. We‘re not asking you to break down and decipher what we’re saying, nor do we want you to try and crack us like some impossible code.
Yes, we have our soap box moments. Admittedly, we have our moments when we need to spew our frustrations and our angst related to our day or week, but that’s just it—we’re spewing. It’s common for women to come home from a hard day at work and wrestle with frustrations that occurred on account of a boss or co-worker.
We’re simply sharing our thoughts, feelings, anxieties, concerns and worries. Please don’t feel compelled to launch into a mission to fix or solve us. We’re not asking you to solve world peace or end world hunger. What we want is real easy–just empathize, show your concern, make us feel heard, understand our position and then shut-up.
