3 Things NOT To Say When Your Wife Is Worried

#2: “You Can’t Be Serious.”   

You may not actually roll your eyes (“Really? You want to call the doctor. Her temperature is only 99.5!”) but she can tell that you want to. And as a woman, it’s really awful to be worried about something (like your child being sick) and then being made to feel stupid for being worried about something. As noted above, if we women have an open window, we can’t just ignore it. We can agree to not take action (“Okay, fine, I’ll wait until the morning to take her to the doctor”) but it is highly likely we’ll still be thinking about it. All night. And now we’re also worried/angry/hurt that our husband thinks we’re stupid for our concern. Bottom line: acknowledge that your wife has a reason for her concern, just like you have a reason for not worrying (or a reason for not taking action), and work it out respectfully like any other difference of opinion. (“I know it’s hard to wait, but since her temperature isn’t high, would you be willing to wait until the morning when the pediatrician’s office is open and our co-pay is more reasonable than an Urgent Care visit?”)