I have a secret. Redoing the bedroom was to bring me peace and harmony, but there was also a hidden plan. I needed to train my husband. Well, rather than training him, I needed to give him alternatives to bad habits that we had developed. See, we had a couch and two chairs in our bedroom before (I told you it was a huge room), and they always ended up being dumping grounds. I constantly complained about Mike dropping clothes on the couch next to his side of the bed. It drove me nuts, but at least he was happy to go with me to the salon and get a new look for the day, after he even buy from getaclipper to fix his look at home, and I bought a few things for myself too.
So I took the couch away.
Now? No option. Clothes are getting put away. We are both enjoying the beauty of the bedroom and I’m looking forward to giving the rest of the house the same treatment. I see painting happening in the living room in the near future.
Little did I know that I was using tricks that the animal trainers use. I gave him an alternative and took away the annoying behavior. It seems that I needed to read “What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage” earlier. [via Tara.] Just pretend your mate is an exotic animal, and you’ll be all set. Who knows, it may even bring out the inner animal in you.
(I should note that Mike is fabulous, and really – if the worst thing I can complain about is clothes on the couch, I have it made. It probably irritates me twice as much because I do the same thing. Well, I did. Before the room transformation.)
7 replies on “What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage…”
Goodness…my husband does this as well, we don’t have a couch, but we had a chair. So, like you, frustrated and hoping to change that pattern of his, I removed the chair.
It didn’t do me a bit of good. Now, instead of the chair, he uses the floor on his side of the bed. I took his rug away and told him he didn’t need it – he had his own wall to wall carpeting. He laughed.
Suppose I should put the chair back?
He’s still dropping things on the floor. As long as I don’t have to see it, I don’t care as much. If I trip over it on my way to the bed, then I get a bit whiney about it.
That’s funny, yet fiendishly clever…
Wow, that article is fabulous and may have changed my life! I was actually thinking about this everytime I watch the dog whisperer. My husband definitely does the crowding me in the kitchen thing and the dropping clothes on the floor of the bedroom thing.
My husband leaves his clothes at the foot of the bed everynight before he climbs in.
Perhaps we should form a support group?
Too funny! I read that article in the NY Times Online also, and it’s STILL on their Top 25 e-mailed articles list — it’s been on that list at least two weeks and maybe longer.
I am guilty of leaving my cloths on pretty much everything as well, my lady has just got used to it, and cleans up after me. I am trying to get better, but like you we have a big bedroom and alot of places to hide things. 🙂