How to Deal with a Husband filled with Machismo

So you've married a man filled with pride in his machismo. He's told you he expects his meals hot on the table, home-made, and ready for him when he gets home, even though you work too. Other than his machismo, he's a keeper and you want to know how to mold him a little to change him to a great guy. Here are some tips that worked for me.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Patience
• A sense of humor
• Stubborness
• Examples of other men with machismo who changed
• A will to succeed

1. One day my husband was a romantic man that swept me off my feet. The next, he appeared to change into a dictatorial jerk. It didn't happen slowly, it happened overnight. I came home from work one day and he was incensed that dinner wasn't on the table waiting for him. I could have left him, but he had that certain something special that told me he was a keeper and trainable. So the next day, I hired a cook to come in and fix the best meal he'd ever tasted. After she was done, I hid her in another room until he'd come home and saw dinner on the table. He was delighted to say the least and commented that the food was remarkable. When he was done, I asked him, "Did you like that?" Of course he was nodding with approval. I brought the lady into the room and introduced her. My exact words were, "Now that you are satisfied pay the lady. You can have anything you want in this world as long as you are prepared to pay for it." It was a humbling experience that we never had to repeat again.
2. During our training sessions, we were going out to join friends one night. My husband insisted I iron his shirt. Now, I was aware that he had been ironing shirts long before I met him, so I was just a wee bit irritated. I decided to fight this battle and told him to iron his own. He became incensed and informed me he "didn't have a wife," because a "wife irons for her husband." I responded with a dictionary, opened to the word "maid," and told him he had me confused for one and that I felt his English skills and attitude needed upgrading. I stood my ground and never ironed another shirt again, unless I wanted to.
3. My husband used to join his male friends for dinner sometimes. I was feeling let down that he was dining with men instead of his wife, so I opted to ask a male friend to dinner one night and we presented ourselves at the same restaurant my husband and his friends frequently dined at. Now, my husband knew this friend, so he knew I wasn't fooling around, but his friends did not. Needless to say, we had quite a discussion that night ending with the fact that I would have a few male friends to dine with as well, if he didn't feel bringing me along was something valuable. His dinners suddenly involved me and I'm not sure what happened to his friends. Maybe their wives joined them too?
4. My husband was once a jealous man. Each night I came home fifteen minutes late, I was accused of cheating. I was growing weary of this and thinking it might be time for divorce. Instead, one night after a particularly intersting fight, I packed an overnight bag and left the house without saying goodbye. I rented a local motel room by myself, purchased a bottle of wine, bath oils, candles and gave myself a facial. I spent the entire night babying myself, putting on facial masks, plucking my eyebrows, doing all the personal things women do. Before I returned home the next morning, I had my nails done as well and purchased a brand new dress. I walked into a house where the poor man was nearly despondent. To this day, he never found out I was at that room alone. But he has changed.

Tips & Warnings

• These tips only work if your man is somewhat emotionally healthy. If he's over the top, it could be dangerous.
• You must first ascertain whether he would be the sort to hurt you. And if he is, why are you married to an abuser anyway?
• After six years of these practices, I'm proud to say my husband is a wonderfully understanding man, who helps cook, cleans the house, and trusts me.