I don't think any of it is manipulative either, just very detailed. I guess that is good when it comes to the kids, but I thought the note on the cable bill was much more than I needed to know. She does like to include lots of details in her stories.
That reminds me of one of the things that I read and one of my own failings. According to John Grey, women de-stress by talking about things. They don't necessarily have to have a "purpose," it's the process itself that works for them. From a man's perspective, we just want them to get to the damn point so we will know what they expect us to do. The longer it takes them to get to the point, the more stressed we get. I would actually do that "move it along" gesture to my wife with my hands when she would start telling me something.
So, we stress them out by making them hurry through whatever it is they want to talk about it and devalue whatever it is their saying. I honestly don't know how anyone manages to stay married without knowing this stuff. It's like you need a decoder ring or something. Now I know that she enjoys telling me about her day (yep, she still can't wait to tell me about things despite the pending D day) and I just let her do it, even encourage it, and wish it would go on forever.
