Progress is Slow

Well, I did it again. I didn't listen to my wife, when she told me no. I pushed the issue. After a little while, I was able to convince myself that I had just misunderstood. So, I asked again. Again, she said no. I use the term said very loosely. This was all done with non-verbal communication. Finally, I asked verbally. Again, the same answer. In the end, she felt that her opinion didn't matter, or that I thought I knew better than she did. I, on the other hand, went away feeling rejected, but mostly okay. Obviously, such behaviors do not engender the trust we are seeking to establish.

I have a tendency to do this. I do not accept the answer the first time, if it isn't what I want to hear. It reminds me of my kids. In fact, I can hear me telling them time and time again that if I say no the first time, subsequent requests will not yield different results. Now, I do the same thing and expect something other than frustration. Talk about insanity.

So, what is the moral. Take the answer. The first time. Maybe the other moral is to make sure I ask in such a way that there cannot be a doubt about whether she misunderstood the question or I the answer. That way, it is much more difficult to convince myself that I misunderstood. Not impossible, but more difficult. In the case where I still convince myself that I misunderstood, I need to defer to the first rule. Take the answer the first time.

~Sean~