Free Why Men Love Bitches by Sherry Argov Page B

Jane. Don’t even kill a bug when he’s around. Don’t change a tire. In fact, don’t even change a light bulb. (Heaven forbid, sister.)
    For any red-blooded male, the feeling that he is the “man” is the ticket. This doesn’t mean that you should be docile all the time. At the same time that you show him you offer him “a mental challenge,” remember that he needs to have his ego stroked. There is a very big difference between catering to his ego and appearing
needy
. You shouldn’t show that you “need” him to help you with:
     
Common sense
Coping with everyday life
Emotional stability
Reassurance of your self-worth
Self-esteem
Feeling complete as a person
     
    These things signify
neediness
. However, you
can
show that you need and appreciate his
masculinity
. He’ll absolutely eat out of your hand when he feels that you like his “manliness” or that you admire his…brawn.
    ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #33
    When you cater to his ego in a soft way, he doesn’t try to get power in an aggressive way.
     
    Praise is an effective tool in getting him to treat you the way you want. Don’t complain, “Well, you
used
to bring me flowers.” From this point forward, every bouquet he gives you is the “prettiest you have ever seen.” Don’t complain that he doesn’t take you out enough. Instead, every restaurant he takes you to is “unbelievable” or “amazing.”
    When he asks if you’ve been to the restaurant before, don’t tell him about the two ex-boyfriends who took you to the very same romantic corner table you are now sitting at. (Unless you never want to go back to that restaurant again.)
    ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #34
    When you appear softer and more feminine, you appeal to his instinct to
protect
.
    When you appear more aggressive, you appeal to his instinct to
compete
.
     
    Whenever you give a man the impression that you want to “wear the pants,” you’ll almost always have a battle on your hands, in which case, congrats—you’ve become his opponent. If he competes, he plays to win at your expense, and good luck getting anything that way.
    Men need a little coaching, and the way to coach them is to praise them when they behave well. A man’s favorite word? “Best.” It doesn’t matter if you say, “Honey, you eat those beer nuts the best—like no one I have ever met in my life.” Use the word
best,
and you’ll always have his full attention.
    Make friends
with his ego. For example, suppose you live together and he wants to help decorate. Chances are at some point he will have a need to “express” his virility by hanging something on the wall. (Something that clashes with
everything
.) When he gleefully breaks out those elephant tusks, the African sword, or the 1986 Super Bowl poster that he calls “art,” keep a straight face and appear sincere. “Yes, honey, Grandpa’s eighteenth-century rifle is to die for!” Then immediately enlist his “much needed help” in decorating the garage or the basement.
    Want him to pitch in around the house? Just make him feel needed (i.e., powerful). Give him little assignments. It doesn’t matter if you ask him to program the VCR or help hang a photo on the wall. When he uses that noisy electric drill, he will feel just like Rambo. When the picture hangs crooked—and it will—pretend it’s perfect. Simply wait until he leaves the room and then straighten it.
    When he hands over that paycheck, thank him for working so hard for “the benefit of everyone in the family.” Again, wait until he leaves the room. Then review the stub to make sure that he got paid all of his overtime.
    Remember, when he behaves like a man and he treats you well, pay a little “homage” to that ego. He should feel like Conan the Barbarian a couple of times a week.
    Whenever he does something handy around the house like putting up a shelf, praise him. It doesn’t matter if the shelf hangs at a 45-degree angle and the stuff keeps sliding off the other end. Clap like