Sure, they act tough, but men have feelings too. And when they get hurt, they really get hurt. If you’ve ever seen a really emotionally wounded man, then you know what I’m talking about. It’s way worse than any little girl who’s ever been upset about anything ever. The sad eyes, the moping, the pouting, the whimpering. It’s not pretty. Here’s the thing about men though. It takes a lot of pain for them to get to that point. Before a big emotional break down, there are usual a lot of small incidents that they’ve bottled up. You may not even know your guy’s feelings were hurt at first. In fact, there are probably several things you’re doing without even knowing it that put your man down and hurt him. Here are five of the most common.
Picking out his clothes
Hey, remember your first date? He showed up and looked pretty cute and you fell for him. Well, he dressed himself for that. And he’d dressed himself for every other event of his life before meeting you too. He’s an adult and can pick out his clothes. And even if his socks don’t match his tie exactly, you don’t need to treat him like a baby and pick out what he wears. It makes him feel like a boy, not a man, and that’s not a good feeling when for any dude over 18.
Not knowing about his job
I get it. Your guy’s job is probably a little boring. Most jobs are. That’s why they’re paid and not hobbies. But if you introduce your guy’s career as “Something where he has to wear a suit. I actually have no real idea,” it’s pretty disrespectful. Your man spends more time at work than he does anywhere else, and it’s a big part of his life. Treat it like it.
Hating on his friends
His group of friends doesn’t have to be your besties. In fact, you don’t even have to like them. What you can’t do though is constantly put them down. These are people that he’s chosen to be close to, and you non-stop ragging on them is going to get under his skin. He wants to feel like you approve of his choices, not consistently diss them.
Making fun of his family
No one’s family is perfect. (Sorry, Mom!) And I’m sure that his creepy uncle or overbearing mother does a lot that’s very worthy of mockery. A lot! But it’s not your place to do it. A quick joke about a relative can be taken very personally and easily be seen as a real put down. Even if your guy starts mocking his family, let him deliver the punch lines. And you can be the star comedian when it comes to mocking your family. (I never do that, Mom!)
Talking about exes
I know you don’t have feelings for your ex boyfriends, and you know that you don’t have feelings for them, but when you talk about them in front of your current guy, he may not know. Absolutely anything positive you say about an ex, even something as dumb as “Well, he had a nice car and that’s about all I remember,” can set a man into a downward spiral of insecurity. So just leave the ex talk for when you’re with your girlfriends, and leave it out when you talk to your guy.
Have you ever hurt a guy’s feelings by accident? What did you do and how did you recover?
