I am a world-class connoisseur of parenting magazines.  From Parent’s to American Baby I either am currently, or have been, a subscriber.  In these past several years that I’ve been reading parenting magazines I have learned that, although some very helpful and insightful material can be gleaned from their pages, it’s best to approach them with a slightly cynical attitude.  After all, experience is the best education, and only you know what is right for your family.

While I have learned to shrug of some of the inane or worldly views that can be present in these magazines, there is one growing trend that gets under my skin: the how-to-treat-your-husband-like-one-of-your-children articles.  You will usually find them under headings like “The Best Ways to Trick Your Husband into Doing Chores” or “Solutions for Teaching your Husband how to care for the Baby”.  My favorite among the pearls of wisdom offered in these articles was,  “Cut out pictures of the brand name items you need from the grocery store and glue them onto a sheet of paper, to be sure that he gets exactly what you asked for.”  That sounds like a great idea…for my three year old!  The thing that really disheartens me is that, with the exception of the few weeks around Father’s Day, uplifting articles about the men in our lives are rare to nonexistent.

I won’t exaggerate and claim that my husband is flawless.  Just like me, he’s human, and being so he can do things that rub me the wrong way.  He has, however, been know to work a ten-hour day, just to come home and spend and entire evening entertaining our daughter so that I can catch up on some much needed “me time”.   Although it may not always be to my specifications, he doesn’t hesitate to help me catch up on things around the house that I’ve fallen behind on.  More importantly, he is my emotional support.  No one can make me laugh, or knows just the right words to lift me up when I am defeated the way that he does.

I have a friend who constantly complains that her husband is a less than involved father, but won’t hesitate to brag about what a hopeless romantic he is.  My point is that, while no husband is wonderful in all ways, the good ones are all wonderful in some ways.  Instead of harping on our husband’s shortcomings, the way most of those parenting magazines do, we should celebrate them for the wonderful things that they bring to our lives.  They are the foundations of our families, so isn’t it our responsibility to build them up?

Who among us hasn’t wanted to be a cheerleader at some time or other?  Well here’s your chance.  The next time you have one of those wow-I-love-this-man moments, don’t just let it pass, tell him!    Write him a love letter, make a list of the top ten reasons he is perfect for you, or let him overhear you bragging about him. Better yet, go through  your magazines, cut out all of those how-to-treat-your-husband-like-one-of-your-children articles, add in your own commentary (like "I am so blessed to have found a man like my husband because...") and put them in a place where he can find them.  

Photo Credit:  © Jenny Rollo

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