I’ve Decided Not To Be Offended!

                                                     by Dr. David Coombs, Ed.D., MFC

     For years I’ve been offended by my wife’s correcting my driving. I’m either going too slow or too fast, not turning at the right place, or not parking in the best places. She tells me where to go and how to get there or warns me of a car or a pedestrian that I supposedly hadn’t seen. I tell her over and over to stop doing that. I’m not a kid. I know how to drive, and I don’t need to be reminded what to do all the time. When I scold her, for some reason, she feels hurt and there’s tension in the air. When will she ever learn?

     Finally, I put my foot down that she is not to tell me how to drive. So, not long ago, we were driving in silence, and she was being good at not correcting me. I got lost and didn’t know where we were. She broke the silence by telling me that I should have exited the freeway several exits ago but since she was sworn to silence, she didn't say anything. There were other frightening incidents, like when I nearly collided with a truck and she yelled out and saved our lives.

     Well, I learned my lesson. I realized that there are times that I do need her advice, and there are times I don’t. But, since she doesn’t know when I do or don’t, I need not be offended. If I get upset, then it is my problem. I am the one who decides if I am going to be irritated. That is my choice. I have come to the conclusion that the prices I am paying for my problem are too high.

     Therefore, I’ve decided not to be offended at anything she has to say whether it’s in the car or in the house or at anytime or any place. Wow! That  has made a big difference in our relationship. The tension has been greatly reduced, and we are enjoying more peace than ever before.

     She tells me how grateful she is for my allowing her the freedom to say what she feels without fear that I will disapprove. She tells me that my criticism affected her self-esteem because she disliked disappointing me. That was a wake-up call for me. I felt terrible that I was failing in my role of being the guardian of her self worth.

     She is a lovely woman who has devoted herself to pleasing me and doing all she can to make me feel loved, yet there I was spewing forth negative comments that made her feel unloved and unappreciated. Why did it take me so long to learn not to be easily offended?

Dr. Coombs is a professional marriage and family therapist and has a private practice in Washington, Utah. You can contact him at 435-705-3579 or email him at DrDavidCoombs@gmail.com or on his webpage www.DrDavidCoombs.com.