Assuming he makes good on it, what can I ask? I know ideally, I listen but as a man of few words, I may have to ask something to get things moving.
MamaG,
I'm not sure what you can ask about the R, but let me offer a few thoughts on the communication parts since I’m a man of few words myself. It is NOT that I have nothing to say or that I have no emotion to express. I usually think. Me personally I don’t always think in words, but in concepts. And then it take effort to put concepts, thoughts or feelings into words. Like most men, I don’t process by talking about it. I retreat to think about it. Or retreat to examine how I feel about it. Then I have to translate it into words. Don’t misinterpret silences. They generally won’t mean the same thing as if another woman gave you silence. For me that would often just mean I’m working through it.
I found in my reading this year that this was described reasonably well by a couple of John Gray books. They offer handy practical guides to translating behavior and speech patterns of the sexes.
- Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus - What you Mother couldn’t tell you and your Father didn’t know
And coincidentally my reading of TSquared2’s threads tonight included this post about men, talking, and feelings. Perhaps you will find it of value.
