Dr. Laura,
When I first started listening to your radio show, I thought you were a kook, but I listened every day...more for the comedic value than for the advice. BUT as I listened, I began to realize how right you are!
After 23 years of marriage and subsequent divorce, I picked up "The Care and Feeding of Husbands" in order to be better prepared for the next chapter of my life. I'm ready to date again, and joined a couple online dating sites. On so many men's profiles, there is a statement indicating how they need/want to be "fed" i.e., no games, a woman who speaks her mind, wanting to be with a woman who greets them with a smile and a twinkle in her eye, etc.. One man's profile even bullet-pointed his desires very clearly! It's all right there in black and white, the wording incredibly similar to your book. Two common questions I get from men I've met online are:
- How do you react when your man does something that angers you?
- What would you do for me if I had a bad day?
To me, these questions reveal the nature of their relationship with their former spouse. It took me years to figure out that at the end of the day, men want a woman who will give them a hug, a warm smile, and something to eat. A hungry man is a grouchy man. Also, I plan to pay attention to my man's ego...it's like a barometer to his emotional well-being. I find a quick ego-boost can be accomplished by handing him a screwdriver and asking him to fix a loose thingamajig. There's always something to fix! Plus I admire handy-work and it works every time!
Dr. Laura, thank you for opening my eyes to these truths!
Andi
