Pet Peeves

He Said
 
Did you ever notice that after you get married your life
changes slowly but surely?  I'm not  whining now like I
always do, I'm just reporting on the day to day changes
that I see. I'm not picking on you and these are not
pet peeves...yet. Life as a married person puts you in
the marriage mode. Everyone knows about it, but not  
many people talk about it for fear of causing hurt
feelings or exploding anger. You know I have described
it many times while we were dating.  Little habits
become annoying and are greatly magnified when you're
with each other 24-7. I won't take the time to list
all of them now because I would run out of paper. But
let's just say that I have noticed them more frequently
since committing to the Holy State of Matrimony.
Maybe we take advantage of each other since we've
captured the prize, the chase is over, and we are
stuck with what we thought we wanted. That may sound
a little harsh, so let me restate it. After getting
married the little things that use to mean so much to
one another, now take a back seat to other endeavors.
So how do we fix this problem? First of all we have
to recognize it as being a problem. Maybe I should
call it a situation so I don't land in the dog house. 
However, situations could escalate if they are not
addressed. How vague is that? For example, having a
TV in the kitchen is one of my pet peeves. When an
interesting story comes on, all I can hear is water
running, pans banging around, rattling paper, the
dog barking, or SOMEONE standing in front of the
screen so I can't see the latest crook being discussed
by the news anchor. Now this wouldn't necessarily
cause the demise of the marriage but could get annoying
if the pattern was followed forever without complaint.
That's where I come in. 
 
She Said
 
Hmmm...marriage mode, did you say? That sounds so
negative. I thought you liked being married. Yes,
things do change when two people make that commitment.
For you, now you have someone to do your laundry,
cook, clean, do yard work, minor household repairs...
do you want me to continue? When my youngest son
left for college, I didn't have to go home after
work and fix dinner, do laundry, housework, stay
on a tight schedule, etc.,to be sure life was running
smoothly. I only had to take care of myself. I could
go for a long walk, go shopping, take in a movie,
chat on the phone, whatever I felt like doing at
the moment. So in that way, life has changed for
me also. I feel responsible for doing all of those
wifey things for you but the difference is that I
don't whine about it. I really don't mind housework,
laundry, cooking, etc., it's just finding enough time
in the day to get it all done without SOMEONE
complaining about how I manage my time. So if
standing in front of the TV while I'm preparing
dinner is your biggest problem, then I think you've
won the lottery...maybe not in dollars but in happiness.
Agree?