Women get a bad rap. We always have. We’re sensitive, insecure and high-maintenance. We’re moody, confusing and never happy. The worst part of it all, however, is that the people who tell us this are usually guilty of the same things.
Any woman who’s ever been in a relationship knows that while women have their moments, it’s the men who need the special care and attention. Because contrary to popular belief, the male ego is not just any child, it’s a 14-year-old girl.
And like with any 14-year-old girl, you have to know how to handle him before he goes hormonal on your ass. You have to be able to pacify his whims and accept his tantrums.
You must learn how to love him, until he's out of this stage, or until he’s accepted it and has learned to control her.
Until then, you must find the right balance between praise and discipline. You must learn how to pacify him, yet also give him the positive reinforcement he needs to feel safe and secure with you.
Because men may try and act macho, but they have the same feelings of any hormonal teenager. They say they don’t need love, but they need it more than anyone.
They act like they don’t need your advice and praise, but they’re really just waiting for it. They try to be the man in the relationship, but they’re really just waiting for the right woman to tell them it’s OK not to be.
He misinterprets the smallest things
Men have a way of reading into things more than any woman would. The wrong look, the wrong word or the wrong silence is enough to make them insecure and paranoid.
You have to make sure they know you’re not looking at their nose hairs or their protruding stomach, but loving every inch of them.
He keeps everything in
Instead of saying how they feel, they will pout and tiptoe around the issue. They’ll sulk in their room and make passive aggressive comments.
Like the teenager you once were, you have to treat him the way your parents treated you. You must get to the root of the problem and squash it right then and there.
Otherwise, they’re going to start embarrassing you at work events.
No one understands him
You get it more than anyone, yet they still believe their problems and feelings are unique. They are the center of the universe, and no one will ever understand how they feel.
You must try and understand them without making them feel like their feelings are universal.
He needs to be told he's beautiful
We forget men, like women, need compliments. They tell us we’re beautiful every day, but they’d like to hear it once in a while. In fact, they'd like to hear it a lot.
They’d like to hear they look handsome in that suit or hot in that beanie. Because if you don’t, they’re just going to start looking somewhere else for that praise.
He's consistently going through awkward phases
That haircut that should have stayed in junior high, that t-shirt that should have stayed in the store and that ring that should have stayed on your finger… Some men can just be lost when it comes to personal style.
Yet, like any misguided teenager, they think they’re the best dressed kid on the street and refuse to take style tips.
He feels disadvantaged
Like a 14-year-old girl, they always feel unappreciated and undervalued. They feel that the whole world is out to get them, including you.
If you’re not their biggest fan, you’re their biggest enemy. If you’re not on their side, you’re playing for someone else.
He’s fragile
They act macho, but when it comes to tough love, they crumble. They think they’re strong, and while they may have pure physical strength, emotionally, they’re as fragile as any 14-year-old girl.
They’re much more likely to break down or yell at you for something that's clearly not where the problem lies and are always ready to misinterpret everything.
They can dish it out, but can’t take it
They can say some pretty mean things, but give it back to them, and they won't talk to you for a week. Men have this capability to say what's on their mind, but when it comes to hearing the thoughts on other's minds, it's not acceptable--and we're the bitches.
He's moody
One second, he's happy, the next he's jealous. They say women can go from zero to 60, but men have just as much pickup.
Nothing is ever his fault
It’s always your fault… or someone else’s. It’s your behavior, not theirs. It’s the girl who hit on them first, not their reaction after.
It’s the waiter’s attitude, not the way he treats the waiter. Men are great at passing the blame, and if you let them, they’ll pass right over you.