“I Told You So!” and Other Words that Kill Relationships

I tend to be a cautious person. I was raised, hearing “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care”. I was a Boy Scout and our motto was “Be Prepared”.

My wife Susan and I have been married 45 years. There are things I occasionally see her doing that I “know” just are not going to turn out well. And as her husband, of course, I can’t just keep my mouth shut. That would be irresponsible! What kind of husband would I be, not to warn her?

We had a situation like that just a few weeks ago. I was upset because I thought she was not being as cautious as she could be to keep from getting poison ivy. In my mind, the results were both predictable and preventable.

As I walked away from that conversation, it dawned on me that there was something else that was predictable and preventable – my response!