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But I bet he understands that with your daughter.





No he doesn't. He pressures the crap out of them not to cry. "What are you crying about?!? Would you STOP!" In his words, he doesn't want to 'deal with it'.

OTOH, he does like to be my knight in shining armor but more along the lines of having me dish out the WOA over something he's made for me (new kitchen cabinets, for example).

Rescue me when I'm upset? Heavens no. He's running too fast in the other direction to even attempt it.

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OTOH, if you’re “friggin fuming on the inside,” he probably knows it.




I'm sure he does; he's a smart fella.
I never promised not to get upset with him. I have promised (to myself) to handle conflict in an adult way..no screaming or flying off the handle. And asking him respectfully to do things differently, etc. It still freaks him out, being the nonconfrontational being that he is, but I do what *I* need to do and leave him to his reactions.

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I think Dr. Laura does a good job of explaining all this. But since it is from the male’s POV and rebuts long held, false beliefs by women, it doesn’t seem to get much attention. Sort of like that blond Corri was talking to at that party.




Well that is as clear as mud.

At any rate, I'm not all that interested in why he does it..I just want to continue to create an atmosphere that feels 'safe' to him so that he can open up, if the mood strikes him. Which it does, maybe once a year. He's a guy, after all.