Learn To Be A Better Husband: 20 Practical Ways To Respect Your Wife’s Feelings
Having a successful marriage is built on words alone. It requires one to take plenty of time, patience, understanding, and healthy communication to keep the fire burning. Mutual respect is one of the critical factors in a happy marriage, and learning to respect your wife’s feelings is an integral part of marriage life.
Why respecting each other is important in a relationship
Respect is a core foundation in any relationship and is especially important in married life. Learning to respect your wife’s feelings is about patience and understanding. It is also a sign of trust, support, and knowledge that both love the other and are crucial in keeping a marriage healthy and happy, acknowledging that what she said affects how you act.
It’s essential in a marriage for husbands to gain their wife’s respect and also, at the same time, learn to respect the feelings of their wives. For example, when your wife speaks, don’t just give a one-word answer like “okay” or “sure.” Instead, please make a point to listen and let her know that you were paying attention and heard what she said. Ask questions if necessary, and don’t be afraid to acknowledge her feelings by explaining your feelings.
It is about being aware rather than doing things unconsciously to ensure that she knows that you care about her feelings. You should also not be judgmental when she tells you that she needs space or want time alone with friends or family.
Important things that a husband should know about respecting his wife’s feelings
Men should understand that a good marriage has many factors to make it successful, and meeting each other’s emotional needs is one of them. Respectful husbands should always provide their wives with the emotional support they need to feel safe and secure in marriage. Understanding your wife’s feelings and showing necessary affection at appropriate times and respect is key to sustaining a lifelong marriage.
Being respectful is not always complicated; it comes to good communication with your wife, which will help strengthen the relationship rather than make it weaker. Learn to respect her overall value and views without being disrespectful, as this shows her how much you love and appreciate what she does for the family is the least that you can do.
What happens when you lose your wife’s respect
Do reflect and ask yourself if you are being disrespectful in any situations you two have where it is unnecessary. It is very accurate that women want their husbands to be confident as it shows them the kind of man they want to be. However, it is entirely different if you are using harsh words out of anger or being disrespectful to her in front of other people. While your intention may be somewhat careless or spur of the moment, you are directly demeaning her and making her feel insecure.
Your wife loves you for you are, and if you cannot even afford her the basic respect and consider her feelings, you will start to realize that she will drift away from you, and it will be evident that she is not happy with your actions.
How do you honor and respect your wife’s feelings
To honor and respect your wife, you need to stop taking things for granted and assume what you want is what she wants. Start by making efforts to maintain an ongoing conversation with her, keep a positive attitude while talking to her and encourage spending quality time together. Focus on her needs as a priority and, more importantly, understand her interests and perspective of life.
Remember, proper communication is key that can transform or break marriages. Many unhappiness in marriage starts from marital conflict where communications were ineffective, and spouses failed to understand the issues. It takes a lot for 2 people to share a lifetime.
Learn to take a step forward by listening more carefully and communicating effectively with each other to reduce unnecessary conflicts. Whenever you have doubts, it is always an excellent option to clarify and avoid making assumptions to complicate things.
20 ways to respect your wife’s feelings
It is a fact that women have a different way of thinking and perceiving things than men. They are more sensitive and emotional about certain situations, so how they express their feelings is very different from ours. On the other hand, women are quicker to grieve over specific issues, whereas men tend to be less sensitive.
Here is a list of 20 practical ways that can help you
Gain your wife’s respect
As much as you like to be respected for your opinions and feelings, you need to earn it. If you are doing all the wrong things that hurt your wife’s feelings, she will see you completely differently. You always have to advise her on the best course of action but use proper expressions. Keep yourself focused on what is essential for her rather than spending time arguing with each other about mundane issues that are just going to add grief and make little difference to either or both of you.
She has her principles and beliefs
We are from a different culture and background; you must respect her feelings on her principles and belief. You should never enforce your personal preferences on your spouse; she has and can have her own opinion, that you should learn to compromise.
Look at her point of view
While it is perfectly alright not to see eye to eye on issues, learn to look at her point of view and see how she look at things. If it is not suitable to your perspective, understand what she feels and does not force her to subscribe to yours-open communication to sort out the differences and work towards a solution.
Your wife is your equal
Your spouse whom you swore in with matrimony is your equal, not lower, not higher than you in all aspects. She is fully capable of holding her own, and you need to respect that. If anything is happening that she or you feel uncomfortable with, express it adequately as an adult to one another.
Never fight in front of your kids
Keep your fights behind closed doors regardless if she is wrong or right. Doing it in front of the kids is poor parenting and presents a few things clear to your children.
- You do not care about your wife’s respect, neither does she for you
- Children are intimidated by such situations as they do not know what is going on
In other words, there is more harm in any given situation as the children will not understand why or the severity of your fights,
Never disrespect her
If you want your wife to respect you, likewise, you should do the same and never disrespect her. I like to put it in a way that while she respects you, similarly, so should you. There are always other ways of getting your point across without disrespecting her by doing the equivalent of anything less than what would be necessary for your wife’s respect and admiration. Always remember that while we can get into details offline, emails or via text between us; You will never know how it sounds if somebody else listens.
Never use harsh words on your wife
Words hurt; refrain from using any harsh words. Well, there are times when you need to address something that bothers you. It is fine, but there are definitely many ways to skin a cat, and you can always use voice or phrases that are not condescending. Proper communication is the key here.
Never create insecurity
If your wife feels insecure about your actions, you should look at how you handle things the way they are now. It takes effort to maintain a marriage, and any insecurity that arises should be addressed swiftly and effectively. Share with her your problems and concerns. When you have to make it known, she should know what is going on in your life. Otherwise, the gap could widen faster than ever imagined. It’s never an effortless thing, but it can also be dealt with patience.
Admit you are wrong
If you are wrong, stand up and say it. Admit that you are wrong no matter what because nobody likes to be told they are right all the time, and having things pointed out is never easy, instead of keeping them hidden inside your head. Your wife will appreciate your open heart more than you realize.
Be supportive in her life
The day you made your vows by god, “I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.” It also meant that we should be supportive of her goals and life direction. She may not always be correct, but you can make a difference by being supportive.
Learn that she needs her own space
The need for your own space is essential for everyone, and you need to recognize this. Sometimes, though not always, there is also a need for you to get out of the way so she can breathe; you must recognize signs where she needs to have her own space for her friends and things.
Make decisions together
Respect your wife’s feelings, significantly when big decisions affect a family’s future, is on the table. Always look for ways to keep communication open to be aware of what each has planned. If you are only informed post factum that things have changed, then communicate more about anything severe or significant as a family.
She is the only woman you have to be always truthful
It is pretty self-explanatory; you love her. You chose to marry her. Does it make any more sense that she should be the only one for you that you should also be truthful?
Pay attention to the little things
As the saying goes,” pay attention to the little things” To men, we may feel it is relatively trivial that you like to eat particular food or drink in a given manner. Just a given an example, I am not referring to food only. In simple, if you are not aware of what your wife likes or dislikes, it shows a lot to her that you are not interested, and in a way, you are disrespecting her feelings.
Never raise hands
Women should not condone any abusive behavior, and you should never raise your hands for whatever reason. It is not acceptable for a man to lay his hands on a woman.
Don’t flirt with another woman
Overcoming infidelity in marriage is one of the biggest challenges that every couple faces, and it is of extreme importance that you always put your wife’s feelings above all. While some may challenge saying that she should trust me, there are more than enough scenarios where things happen. Sometimes it is simply just a matter of time; while your little flirt may honestly seem harmless, remember it is another human being we are dealing with, and you will never know how the other person will react to you.
Seek your wife’s advice and opinions
There are times when we overlook things, and getting your wife’s advice can be very helpful. She will know you better than most other people and can give you feedback that may be truly rare to us and for which we could never even guess. Sometimes it is the little push we need at times like this to make things work out well.
Help out in household chores
Household chores are no longer just women’s responsibility. In modern society, where it is prevalent where both husband and wife are working, it is no longer necessary to have a person responsible for all the household chores. You had a hard day at work, and if she is also working, should there be any differences? Remember, respect your wife as an equal and help out with the duties in your house.
Stop being manipulative
Many husbands are guilty of being manipulative towards their spouses. It can be in various ways, such as changing her views towards you, controlling your wife’s finances, who she is talking to, or going out. It would be best if you respected your wife’s feelings, and you should communicate how you feel about the situation instead of trying to manipulate things to your advantage.
Avoid emotional abuse
Disagreements are part of marriage life, but it is wrong to put your wife to emotional abuse or invalidate her. Examples of such are acts are
- Unrealistic demands
- Silent treatment
- Undermining
- Accusations
- Refusal to acknowledge
It is not an acceptable act where you show no respect in any way to your wife’s feelings. If you are guilty of any such abuse, you must seek help and work on a solution.
Final thoughts on respecting your wife’s feelings
Respect is a key to a successful marriage. To achieve that, you must learn how to respect your wife’s feelings and be the best husband that you can be. Make genuine interests to understand your spouse’s needs and find ways to fulfill them. Ending the cycle of respect is not easy for everyone but is undoubtedly achievable through mutual efforts from both parties.
Originally published at https://inside5am.com on November 1, 2021.