Do you protect your spouse?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don't mean from physical harm, though I suppose if I could push him out of the way of a moving bus, I would! I screen phone calls for my dh and also try to do as much as I can around the house before asking for his help. He protects me by telling me when I'm starting to get too exhausted or by taking the kids away when I need it.

[PentecostalMom]

Yes...very similarly.

[Sandra in FL]

I never complain to anyone (my family, girlfriends, kids) about dh. I talk to my mother-in-law instead. As a mother, I figure that there's nothing I say that will change how she feels about him and she'll never gossip about him because she wants to protect him too.

 

I screen his calls and get rid of all the telemarketers, etc. He will listen patiently to anyone - I have no problems saying no or getting rid of people on the phone.

[AndyJoy]

I never talk badly about him to anyone (except him, when he needs to hear it!:tongue_smilie:)

 

I find ways to help him graciously bow out of things he doesn't want to do or escape from social situations when he is overloaded since he is an introvert.

 

He protects me by noticing when I'm near my breaking point with frustration and takes care of the little guy and brings me coffee.

 

He protects my sanity by going to social gatherings so I can refuel emotionally since I'm an extrovert, even though he is an introvert and would rather not go.

 

He once "defended my honor" physically by punching a guy in the nose when the guy made a "sour grapes"-fueled inappropriate untruthful comment about me.

[GWOB]

Definitely.

 

I am VERY protective of dh. I love that man like nobody's business. I really have to restrain myself when I hear even slightly negative things said about him. I have told off my parents multiple times because they have been derogatory toward him. I refuse to bad-mouth him to anyone. Very protective of dh. Very protective.

[Peela]

I try but he doesn't handle it so well. I try and feed him well...he prefers what he prefers. I try and get him to come for walks....he would rather watch TV.

I don't try and protect him from phone calls (he loves them, I dont) or from work around the house (we have our different areas that we tend to). They are not so relevant for us. He doesn't work hard, either- no harder than me, just different. We have a relaxed lifestyle so I dont need to protect him in that way. He loves his work and would work more if he could.

I would say he is very protective of me, though. He has a mother hen gene. He will literally cook my red meat for me when I get run down, although he is a vegetarian (he just cooked me fish for lunch even though he wont eat it. I made him cauliflower cheese which he loves). He will try and protect me from friends he sees are not good for me. In that way, he is more the protector.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don't try and protect him from phone calls (he loves them, I dont)

 

I have to confess that on the phone calls - esp. the ones from charities - I'm probably protecting our bank account more than him personally. He will give generously while I'm cringing because money is tight and I'm not sure if we have enough for the mortgage. I have no trouble giving to charity and do try to budget for that but I do feel like we need to take care of our obligations first.

[Impish]

Yes, but not from my tendency to moan to a close friend when he's being a dipstick. :blushing: I should, I know. Thankfully, my close friend listens and likes him anyway. And by the time I'm done talking to her, I usually like him again too. :lol:

 

I run interference w/MIL all the time though. Even if it means I get an hour long call about ppl I've never/will never meet, the weather, and whatever else is going by. If he has the "I'm in serious pain" look when he's talking to her, I'll loudly ask for his help, so he can escape if need be.

 

*Sidenote: She left a hyperventilating hissy fit voice mail the other day, wanting to know if he was "a drinker". Wth?*

[JennifersLost]

A couple of years ago I made a big effort to break the habit of moaning about my spouse to friends and start looking for ways to celebrate him instead. I realized I was copying other people and had never learned to see good in my own family.

 

It's really changed things in my house and I love it. I think my family (my mom and dad) just really suffer from low self-esteem or something. We didn't celebrate ourselves much and I had to teach myself how to do it.

 

Still - he protects me way more. He's just good at it.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I forgot that I also protect him by making sure that wait-staff at restaurants know that he is allergic to dairy. He forgets to tell them or to ask if there is dairy in a dish sometimes and then is dismayed that he can't eat it. So I now will speak up and remind him.