As Carol glared across the table at him, Melvin realized he’d messed up. He had arrived at the restaurant to find her waiting at the table for him. Carol looked wonderful, her hair done and wearing a lovely dress for their night out. Instead of telling her how amazing she looked, Melvin complained that he had to wear a nice suit while she was out in a “house dress.” These words hurt her a lot. And so, she glared, threatening to leave him alone at the table. After fumbling for a few moments, Melvin looked Carol in the eyes and told her: “You make me want to be a better man.”
Jack Nicholson’s Melvin in As Good as it Gets doesn’t offer much inspiration for husbands, but this moment hits the nail on the head. Still, many of us know our wives make us want to be better men. Here are 4 ways the women in our lives, especially our wives, make our lives better.
1. Wives inspire us to become better men.
It’s not uncommon for a man to say that his wife is “out of his league.” Many of us say this half-jokingly but also believe it’s partially true: that we somehow don’t measure up to being partnered with the women who love us. But for some reason, they’re still there. That simple truth can often be the motivation for us to work harder, kick a bad habit or addiction, and to take better care of ourselves.
2. Wives laugh at our jokes (or at the very least, they laugh at us).
While some dads are genuinely funny, many men are much better at telling dad jokes. Dad jokes tend to elicit groans more often than laughter from anyone who hears them. A wife may roll her eyes at her husband alongside everyone else, but she is also the most likely to appreciate a man’s humor, laughing with (or at) us.
3. Wives see past our lowest moments.
When we screw up, our instinct is to hide it from everyone and forget it ever happened. It can be hard to keep these failures from our wives because they often witness when things don’t go according to plan, when we lose our temper, or when bad habits get the best of us. One of the great benefits of a wife is that she sees past her husband’s shortcomings, loving the men we are and not just the men we aspire to be.
One of the great benefits of a wife is that she sees past her husband’s shortcomings.4. Wives teach us to see things with our hearts instead of just our heads.
Many men see the world practically. There’s work to be done, problems to fix, and goals to achieve. Many wives see things differently, looking at the world through her heart. One of the ways our wives make our lives better is by helping us to care for people, even the ones who’ve let us down. They teach us to remember to love the kid who may have just flushed our iPhone or to consider whatever is going on in the life of a coworker who is driving us crazy.
Sound off: What are some other benefits of a wife? How else do they make our lives better?
Huddle up with your wife and tell her one way she has made your life better.