Feb 26 2009
OOPS! Misunderstanding Your Spouse
Last night Rick was on his laptop computer most of the evening doing…
some work from home. Sometimes he has to do this and other times he’s on it working on our website. As we started up for bed he asked me as he usually does, if I minded if he brought the laptop upstairs or would I rather he not. I really wanted to just crawl in bed and have no more computer around. He usually wants to unwind, checking emais, etc. Just relaxing stuff at that point. Anyway, as we were getting ready to go upstairs we realize the mail was still lying on the counter so we started glancing through it. There was a notice from one of the credit card companies.
It was announcing that they were raising our rate to 23%. We were just amazed and mad that they can just do that! But we shouldn’t have been because we’ve been hearng about this on the news. At that point, Rick made the comment that, this is why I stay on the computer all evening. I took it to mean that he had to work constantly to keep paying these type of things. It made me very upset because I felt like he was saying that if we didn’t have these bills and if we didn’t have all these responsibilities then he wouldn’t have to be on the computer late working all the time.
So as I went upstairs I told him I really didn’t appreciate that comment. It reminded of when my dad would get mad at my mom years ago when I was little. My dad would start fussing about the bills and how he had to work all the time as if it were her fault. Then he would always apologize. But it just brought me back and I really didn’t like it. Well, Rick quickly told me he didn’t mean that at all! What he meant was that because these companies are allowed to do whatever, that is why they raised the percentages and we had to keep paying the few cards we have off so we could pocket that money instead of giving to them.
Rick apologized and told me he never meant what I had thought. I realized I had over reacted and of course we talked and kissed and it was ok. Today I realize I overreacted and that as children we don’t really understand all the stress parents are under and that was just what it was with my dad. Sometimes unfortunately we take it out on our spouses. Isn’t it amazing how such a simple thing can turn into such a misunderstanding?
