In the beginning you did these things automatically....somewhere along our journey I got left behind. Please use this as a reminder..I'm not trying to change who you are -- just how you percieve me and our relationship........

I love you, Dh....

Stepwitch

How to use this list: This is not a list of specific actions. It is more of a set of general guidelines and principles. You will have to find your own ways of doing each of the points, other than one or two examples.

So, on to the meat of the article, how to show your wife you love her:

Show Her Appreciation

Your wife needs you to show her that you appreciate her, in both words and actions. That means telling her "I appreciate what you do" and "I appreciate who you are"... but mostly in a more specific sense, as in "I appreciate that you were there for me when I needed it the other day."

For ideas on how to show her appreciation through actions, you might want to read 7 Quick Tips On How To Make Your Wife Happy. (I copied this link to the bottom of this email)

Show Her Respect

Men and women both need to be shown respect, but how you go about it can be very different. You can show your wife respect by being old-fashioned when it comes to certain things: open, and hold, doors for her, let her always enter before you, and standing up for her when someone insults her.

You can also show her respect by things that aren't so old-fashioned, things that will be important for as long as the human race is around, like paying attention to her and actively listening to her when she talks to you.

Show Her Romance

It's unfortunate, but some men simply aren't romantic by nature... and women can tell. In spite of that, women will still appreciate the effort that you put into trying to be romantic.

If it does come naturally, that's even better.

One thing to remember when you are being romantic is that it means a lot more when you are creative. Rather than just take her to dinner and a movie, for example, you could leave her a small trail of notes, one leading to another, with the last one leading to the tickets. Trust me... she will remember things like that.

Show Her Love

This can tie into being romantic, but is a whole lot more, as well. There are so many ways that you can show her love... hundreds of little things. And make no mistake, showing her love is all about the little things, not the big ones.

In a relationship it's much more important to get the little things right day to day than it is to do big things.

Some of those small things you can do: hold hands, listen to music that is special to you together, touch her face, kiss her, hug her, and one that's important but also usually one of the first things to be forgotten - soul gaze.

Show Her Respect For Family

Women, in general, are more socially aware than men. They pick up on how you treat others, especially how you treat family. This includes both her family and your family.

Treat family, on both sides, with respect. This means helping them when they need it... without complaining. It also means not speaking badly about them... which doesn't mean hiding the bad parts, but rather that you be nice. In other words, you don't have to pretend that they do no wrong, but you don't have to call them names.

Show Her What You Love About Her

Women, and men, too, for that matter, need to hear specifics about what it is that you love about them... and not just one time. Your wife needs reminded of what it is that makes her special to you.

This can be physical things, like her eyes, her lips, or her touch. It can also be personality traits, like her honesty, compassion, or sense of humor.

One of the really good things to tell her is what you love about how she makes you feel.

Show Her She Is Number One

This, again, is one of the things both women and men need, though men many times try to hide or deny it.

When you are in a relationship your significant other should know that they are your number one priority.

This is something that you should show them every day, through all the little things... when she is talking to you, stop doing other things and pay attention. Stop what you are doing other times, too, just to show them love. When she calls you, walk over to them instead of just shouting back "What?".

And don't forget to tell her, too. Tell her she is your number one, the most important thing in the world to you. Tell her often enough to make sure she remembers.

Once again, as always ends up being the case, it's all about the little things. It's the day to day, moment to moment things that build a relationship, and make it strong enough to last.

Remember... without the little things, there are no big things.

Tell her you love her, and show her that you love her... these are the things that keep a marriage strong.
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7 quick tips on how to make your wife happy:

Do The Dishes

Some might call me sexist for this one, since it seems to be making the assumption that it's the wife's job to do the dishes. I don't necessarily think that, but it IS normally my wife who does the dishes (or my son if he's in trouble), and she really appreciates when I do the dishes. Make sure you get them clean, though, or it can be worse than not doing them!

Plan A Whole Night For Her

There are a few women who would not appreciate this at all... but if you're married to one of those, I'm quite certain that you know it, and you can skip this one.

Plan a whole night for her... including making sure the kids are taken care of (find a babysitter that she trusts). Plan dinner, and any events, and how the night will end... personally I like being at the beach for sunset, or a little later with the stars out.

Oh, and a word of advice... stick to the plan unless something considerably better comes up, you'll likely be happier over all.

Take Her Surprise Shopping

I've heard there are women out there who don't like shopping, but I've never actually met one. This one is fun, as you get to see her get all excited like a kid. How much you can afford is up to you, as is where you take her, though it's pretty hard to go wrong with shoes.

Write Her A Letter

This one is cheap, and if you are the writing type, easy. If you're not the writing type it can be hard, but it may be appreciated that much more, if she knows that you went to extra effort to write it.

A note on this one... I'm NOT talking about email or a text message. I'm talking about an honest to goodness old fashioned pen and paper sent through the post office letter. Many women, and men for that matter (though men are less likely to admit it), are sentimental enough that they will keep a letter that you write to them for the rest of their lives.

Take Care Of Everything For One Night

Take care of everything around the home for one night... this can be to allow her to go out with her girlfriends, or just to allow her to relax and unwind at home. And I do mean take care of everything... dinner, the kids, cleaning, making the bed, whatever else you can think of... do it!

Unless she has "her own way" of doing it, where you can't do it right... my wife doesn't like me to fold laundry.

Celebrate An Unusual Date

This one is fun, too. Pick a date that means something (and that you remember, of course), but isn't a "normal" date to celebrate. That means a date OTHER than your anniversary, your birthdays, or any other holiday. It could be, but isn't limited to, any of the following:

The day you met
The day you proposed
The day she conceived
The day you moved in together
The day you got your wedding rings

Or you can choose another date of significance to the two of you... like September 15th for me and my wife.

Do That Thing You've Been Promising To Do

We pretty much all have something we've been saying we would get to but haven't yet actually done. Do it... and let her know. Don't brag about it, just tell her "Honey, I finally did -------" (you fill in the blanks). This one isn't as much of a direct happy inducer as the others, but it takes something off the overhead of stuff that she associates with you. That makes it easier for her to be happy, and especially it makes it easier for her to think good things about you.

So... there you go, seven quick tips (quick to write, not to do) to make your wife happy. Don't do them all at once, she won't appreciate it as much. Don't even do them all one day after another... pick one and do it once every two weeks or even once a month. Number six, of course, can't be done just any day, and most of them shouldn't be done twice in a row (ie don't send her a letter, then two weeks later send another one... instead send her a letter, and then two weeks later take care of everything for one night, or something like that).

What are you waiting for? Go make your wife happy!

Stepwitch
Thank you Disney for portraying a positive image on all stepmothers!!!!