10 Tips To Better Love Your Wife

Here are some things I've learned over the last 6 or so years of being married.

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no authority whatsoever to be writing a post like this. But then again, you're probably used to reading blogs and you know what most of the blogosphere is all about: people writing from life experience whether they have a clue or not (mostly not).

Disclaimer 2 (this one's for my wife): No, I don't actually do all these things currently, but I want to! Doesn't that count for something? :-)

1. Learn her love languages and update your vocab, whether it's words of encouragement, acts of service (dear God forbid), physical touch, gifts (God, double-forbid, please), quality time, whatever. Learn to love the way she needs to receive it.
   
2. Be a good father. If your wife is saying things like "You're such a good daddy," then you're on the right path. If, on the other hand, you're hearing "I just wish you would participate in raising our child," then maybe the 4-hour Halo 3 marathon should be over.
   
3. Let her know how dumb you are. And insensitive. Daily. It's not your fault, but rather part of being a male. You can't help it.
   Dislaimer 3: I didn't really write this list. A woman wrote it... and gave it to me. Her identity shall remain anonymous. Forever.
4. Tell her she is beautiful a lot, every time you see her. Let her catch you looking at her butt (but never someone else's). But be honest when that pair of pants isn't flattering (as long as she is able to change into another -- never be that honest in the car on the way to a party with friends who have nice butts).
   
5. If you think some aspect of your wife (attitude, respectfulness, etc.) should be different, change yourself first. Remember that verse that says something about a speck in your brother's eye and the plank in your own? Yes, dangit, that seems to apply in marriage, too.
6. Work somewhere with lots of ugly women. (And invite your wife to visit occasionally.)
   
7. Love her cooking, whether you like it or not. (I'm just saying that for all the other guys out there with wives who can't cook.)
8. Let her win arguments. All of them. Unless of course, she really does win all the arguments; in that case, of course, just pretend you let her win.
9. In the evenings, change at least 65% of the diapers.
   
10. Don't think that reading lists like this one is really going to make you a better anything.

I love you, Babe.

For Mac

Call this a prayer, or maybe a pledge; here are the things I want to do and the person I want to be for my daughter:

1. Loving. Always loving.
2. I never want to raise my voice to be heard or understood.
3. I want to be 100% interested in what you're doing or saying right now.
   
4. I am your biggest fan.
5. I will admit mistakes.
6. I will protect you from bad people.
7. I will pray for you and the choices you make.
8. I will love your mom until I die.
9. I will ask you to do things you don't want to do in the interest of our family and/or your own future.
10. I will blog and photo-document your life until I drive you completely crazy.
    

Dads

This is a neat article about a Dad. An excerpt:

The thing is that he was convinced that the world was chock full of treasures that we couldn't see. We would go walking in the desert and he would pick up a stone and say that probably some Indian centuries ago used this rock in a spear. I believed him. Later I became more skeptical of these wild claims. But then I realized that Dad thinks treasures are everywhere, waiting to be found and appreciated.