Mythbuster Monday

I scratch your back, You scratch mine.

You've all done this before.

You come home from a long day at work, and nothing sounds better to you than a nice back scratch. 

You snuggle up to your spouse so that their hands are placed perfectly on your back. You roll your shoulders in a motion that universally signals, "scratch my back."

They don't get the hint.

Slightly frustrated, but not yet defeated, you position yourself behind them and start scratching their back. 

As soon as you're finished, they turn to you and say, "Gee... thanks honey. That was sure sweet of you."

And then.... 

Nothing.

They don't return the favor. 

WHAT?!?!

You roll over feeling hurt and resentful. They broke the #1 rule every logical person should know...

If someone scratches your back, you MUST scratch theirs!!

I mean, what rock have they been living under?

Back scratching isn't the only area where we see this kind of nonverbal agreement that shouldn't even have to be spoken and everyone should just know... 

If you buy your wife flowers and chocolate, she's bound to give you sex, right?

If you spend the evening making a delicious dinner for your partner, they're bound to help you with the dishes, right?

If you bat your eyelashes, turn around three times, and put the green mug on the bathroom counter your husband should automatically know that you want him to put the kids to bed, right?

Is this starting to sound a bit ridiculous?

That's because it is. 

Unless you married Mel Gibson in the movie, "What Women Want," chances are, your spouse can't read your mind. 

Why is it so hard to ask for what you want? Like, with your actual words - not just unspoken signals or secret codes?

One evening, I was babysitting my sister's adorable two-year-old girl. It was time for her to go to bed, and I was helping her to put on her jammies.

"I want the purple ones."

"No problem! Purple jammies it is!"

"Read stories."

"Alright, let's read a book!"

After we read of few of her favorites, which she had no hesitation pointing out to me, I placed her in her crib to go to sleep.

She immediately grabbed my arm and said, "Ang-uh-winn sing song?" in her adorable voice.

My heart melted at the sound of her trying to say my name.

As I started singing her a lullaby she said, "Scratch my back?"

I started scratching her back while singing her a song, and it wasn't too long before she fell asleep.

That little girl let me know EXACTLY what she wanted from me in order to go to sleep peacefully. She set me up for success.

Sadly, the older my niece gets, people won't be so kind or willing when she asks them what she wants. She might ask someone to scratch her back and they'll tell her, "No."

In fact, people might start telling her that asking for what she wants is selfish or rude. 

There may come a time when she thinks to herself, "It's best if I just keep quiet."

There was a time in your life when this happened to you, too. You asked for something you wanted and got rejected. You learned how bad it can hurt when someone willfully dismisses your request, especially if it's important to you.

You learned that it can be scary to ask for what you want - that it's vulnerable to let someone in on your hopes and desires. 

No wonder it's hard to ask for what you want!

The second a request leaves your mouth, it's up to the other person to decide whether or not to grant that request. It's out of your control.

Who likes to feel out of control??

So instead, you keep your mouth shut. If your partner doesn't pick up on your subtle clues, at least you don't have to admit that it was something you wanted in the first place.

Instead, you're just secretly angry at them while they wonder what they did wrong.  

Though it softens the blow of the rejection when the words don't leave your mouth, it doesn't leave you any less resentful over not getting what you want.

Plus, it practically guarantees that you WON'T get what you want.

This habit is so engrained within our society, that you may be doing it without even realizing. 

Let's say you want help with the dishes. Your spouse is sitting on the couch watching TV. How dare he sit while there are dishes to be done!

You can feel your anger bubbling up inside you.

Without saying anything, you make sure the dishes clank really loud, slam some cupboards while you put them away, sigh really loud and hope that he gets the hint that you'd really like some help...

You shouldn't have to ask - he should just know!

Sound familiar?

What would be a better alternative to secret cues, signals, and nonverbal agreements that leave us disappointed and set our partners up for failure?

Simple.

Learn to ask for what you want. 

Nate and I have a motto in our marriage that came from Terry Real's book, The New Rules of Marriage. 

"You have no right to complain about not getting what you never asked for."

Let that soak in for just a second.

You're not allowed to complain about not getting something you never asked for.

Next time you get angry about your spouse not doing something, I want you to ask yourself, "Did I verbally ask them to do this?"

Now, there are many ways to ask for something that you want, and let's just say that some ways work better than others...

Let's go back to the dishes example and look at a few of your options:

1. "I'm always cooking you dinner and you never help me with the dishes. You always just sit there in front of the TV while I do it. Why don't you help me for a change?"

Woof. Using words like "always" or "never" is a surefire way of putting your spouse on the defense.

This example of asking isn't really asking at all. It's complaining about what your partner is doing wrong (or not doing right). This puts all the attention on how they're  the bad guy, instead of being vulnerable and owning what you really want. 

I can see this turning into a never ending argument of, "Oh yeah? Well you always do this, and you never do that," going back and forth until the dishes get moldy and you forget about them entirely.

2. "Maybe, you know, you could help me with the dishes, if you want." or "If you have time, if it's convenient for you, could you help me with the dishes?" or the classic, "Do you want to help me with the dishes?"

These are all different ways of saying the same thing. In this situation, you are not owning what you want. Instead, you are implying with your request that it is actually your spouse that wants it - that it's actually their idea. It takes the pressure off of you.

This reminds me of a time we were helping with a social gathering at a neighbor's house. Nate was in charge of putting out the treats. He had left them in their original plastic container and just set them on the table. 

The host of the party came to the treat table, turned to Nate and in that passive-aggressive sing-song voice we all know said, "Do you want to put these treats on a separate platter?"

Nate replied, "No, I think they are fine in the plastic."

She looked at him like he had just slapped her in the face. 

He quickly realized his error and said, "I mean... Yeah of course I want to put them on a separate platter... There's nothing more in this world that I want than to have these treats on a platter."

It was awkward.

The answer to the question she asked him was, indeed, "No." 

No he didn't want to put them on a separate platter. He didn't see the need to do so.

But, that wasn't the question she was really asking, was it...

Can you see how it would have been so much easier if she had just said, "Hey, I'd love it if you put these on a separate platter, so that it looks nicer for the guests."

Nate would have known exactly what she wanted, and wouldn't have stepped on her toes in the process. 

3. "Can you please help me with the dishes?"

This example is better than the first two, and it's a good place to start. Saying "please" is wonderful, and it would be much easier for your spouse to want to help. 

However, the request falls a little... well... flat. It doesn't get across how much it would mean to you to receive that help you are asking for.

I can see getting a response like, "Sure honey, just let me finish this game first." or "How about we just do them in the morning."

There's still too much room for failure with this example. 

4. "Honey, I'd love some help with the dishes. I worked really hard on making dinner and it would Make me feel Really loved and appreciated if I had your help right now. Can we do the Dishes together?"

This hits the nail on the head.

First, you make your desire known - you'd really love some help with the dishes.

Second, you tell them WHY you'd like help with the dishes - because you worked really hard on dinner.

You give him clear expectations WHEN you'd like it done - right now.

And lastly, you tell them what it would do for you if they granted your request - it would help you feel loved and appreciated.

Can you see why this would make it much easier for your spouse to say yes to your request? You're giving them everything they need to give you what you need. You're setting them up for success!

I'm not saying this will always get you what you want, but it definitely won't hurt your case.

Notice that I said, "LEARN to ask for what you want," not just, "Ask for what you want."

It takes practice, and it takes trial and error. Give yourself permission to be bad at it at first.

It might feel super uncomfortable in the beginning. You might stumble over your words or they'll come out wrong. Let yourself sit with that discomfort. Be patient with yourself and don't give up.

Mastering the skill of asking for what you want effectively and efficiently is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your partner. It's a skill worth mastering.

Did this article resonate with you? Do you have any personal experiences with this myth? Let me know in the comments!