You could be ruining your marriage and not even
know it despite your deepest hopes to save it.
How?
Through power and control.
Power and control are building blocks for emotional
and physical abuse (spiritual abuse, too).
A healthy, happy and strong marriage isn't based on
power & control but on love & respect.
Men have the need for respect from their wives.
Women have the need for love from their husbands.
But here's what happens all too often:
When a wife's need for love isn't being met by her
husband, she'll often go on the offensive to trigger
the response that she's after thinking that if she
presses her husband enough he'll straighten up!
What she's really trying to say to her husband is:
"I have a need for love that only YOU can meet."
But a man often interprets her behavior as disrespect
and will withdraw and shut down because it's the
honorable thing to do in his mind, AND also because
he needs to cool off.
When a husband withdraws, he acts in unloving ways
but what he's really trying to tell his wife is:
"I have a need for respect that only YOU can meet."
One of the most popular Mad About Marriage episodes
is one that we did on Love & Respect. It's awesome.
Here's the link to the show if you care to watch it online
(it's only 22 minutes). I think you'll really, really like it:
==> Love & Respect Episode
Most issues and problems in a marriage boil down to
a lack of love and respect.
So if this is something you think you might be struggling
with in your marriage, then you owe it to yourself to take
20 minutes this weekend to watch this show and strengthen
your marriage.
Until next week, this is Mike & Gayle Tucker and we
want YOU to be mad about marriage!
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