Is it Time You Gave Him a Break?

Men, they’re great aren’t they? They’re handy to have around when you need heavy stuff carried, they’re hilarious and they can remove spiders from your bathtub without screaming (eh…for the most part…)

Sure they’re fantastic. Just look at the man in your own life. Yes, look at him sitting there, making googly-eyes at the television and scratching himself inappropriately. Where would you be without him? Afraid to use your bathroom because an eight-legged beast has taken up residence in the bottom of the shower, probably…

Spiders, opening jars, attempting DIY whenever something breaks – the men in our lives have to put up with a lot in exchange for having us as their lovely counterpart. And okay, as a woman, I will throw up my hands and concede that yes, sometimes, we have the tendency to be a bit hard on members of the opposite sex.

We tend to have a few unrealistic expectations when it comes to our men. We give them a hard time. Sometimes (yes, it pains me to say this) we even nag them slightly. We’re all guilty of it and in fairness, men can be a bit bloody dense sometimes, but I have to ask the following question – ladies, is it time that we eased up on our gentlemen friends ever so slightly?

Maybe it’s time that we gave the men in our lives a break. Especially on the following occasions…

When the football is on: In man-land football is a big deal. Actually it’s a massive deal. It’s more important than politics, religion and (dare we say it) sex. Aside from a few carefully selected series, football is probably the thing he enjoys watching most on television.

Women, a match is only ninety minutes long. While every bone in your body may be screaming “they’re just kicking a ball! This is boring!!!” maybe it’s time you suppressed your complaints and instead allowed him to enjoy watching grown men chase around a piece of leather.

Give him the luxury of watching the football uninterrupted and you may just find yourself being dubbed the best girlfriend in the entire world.

When he tries to do something nice for you: Occasionally the man in your life will get the idea into his head that it’s time he did something nice for you. This usually involves him taking it upon himself to do some housework.

The next time you come home from work and find that your man has been busy putting on some washing or hovering the stairs, recognise that he cares about you and is trying to help out. Don’t give out to him for putting a pink pair of knickers in the wash with a white towel, or for the fact that proper hovering requires actually getting the dirt off the floor instead of just moving it around a bit. Appreciate the gesture. He’s probably trying his hardest, bless him.

When he accidentally forgets a minor anniversary: Men are forgetful creatures. Fact. Women, on the other hand, remember every single thing that has ever happened. Ever. No, he probably doesn’t realise that today is the six year anniversary of your first kiss. Instead of freaking out and feeling hurt, give him the benefit of the doubt. Chances are he can’t even remember what he ate for breakfast this morning.

When he accidentally leaves the seat up: No matter how well you have him trained, you will go into your bathroom some day and the seat will be left up.

I hate to break it to you, but men are pretty much programmed to leave the toilet seat up. If he forgets to put it down some day, take a few deep breaths. He puts it down 98 per cent of the time. Give him the benefit of the doubt.

Remember, he’s only human too. Sometimes it’s best to turn a blind eye. In fairness, who’s going to fix that squeaky door in the kitchen if you start a fight with him? Priorities ladies, priorities…