Top 9 Things Men Don't Know They Do to Aggravate Women

Men: Do you ever find yourself in the path of your infuriated girlfriend/wife without even knowing how you got there? Do you ever go through an entire argument without ever really finding out what you did wrong? Here are a few ways that men get under the skin of women without even realizing it.

1. "Uh-huh..." A surefire way to convince her that you're either paying no attention to what she just said or that you don't care. I promise that neither of those options are good ones. It is true that when a woman asks you a question or for an opinion that she usually has already set her mind on the answer that she wants to hear. But, what she wants from you is more validation on that particular choice. The number one rule that a guy should follow is to be sensitive to whatever it is she's asking of you. The second rule is to be as politely honest (particularly if it's about a touchy subject) as you can. Then at least she'll know you're listening.

2. "I don't care..." So it's Friday night and the two of you are hungry. She asks you, "Where would you like to go?" You respond with your traditional answer, "I don't care." Yes, we women do know that you probably don't care. If there's a beer and a steak or a big burger, you're probably game. But after a week of hard work, a woman wants to feel a little pampered, especially considering the longer you've been in the relationship. There may be some reminiscent feelings of those early dating days, the courting days. What I suggest, if you really do not care (which is okay), pick 3 or 4 places that you wouldn't mind going to and ask her to select one of those places. Then you can both be happy!

3. Not answering your cell. Yes, there are a bizillion legitimate reasons for you to not answer your cell, but it's annoying. This one may not be fair, but it's honest.
4. Looking at other women. The most interesting thing about this one is that occasionally you say that you don't do it. I do believe that you don't know you're doing it. This is a genetic difference that we have between the sexes. My suggestion here is this: we know you like to look, but please, just don't let us catch you doing it. Thanks!

5. "It will be okay." This one is courtesy of a co-worker, but I couldn't agree more. When a woman is going through something that is seemingly devastating to her, when she tells you about it, at least act like you care. Yes, depending on many different things, we could be totally blowing the situation at hand out of proportion. But, the fact of the matter is that at that point in time it is a big deal and we need to have your support! We realize (most likely) that things have a way of working themselves out, but we need to get the emotion out of our system. And we need your help in doing so.

6. Priorities. Some men more than others... Does it ever seem odd to you that you can plan a tee time with your buddies a month in advance but that dinner we told you about for this weekend seemed to slip your mind? To you, this may seem like a little mistake. I am not suggesting that you put your buddies and your putter over us, but at that time, it may seem like that to us. If this unfortunate incident happens to arise, flowers are never a bad idea.

7. Blaming the P-Word. FYI--most women have PMS for 2-3 days a month. That leaves around 25 days or so that women are not subject to raging hormones. Would you like to guarantee yourself a first-class ticket to sleeping on the couch? Suggest PMS. Yes, she may be acting oversensitive to a particular issue. But if you want to see real fury, mention Midol. And, just so you know, if you happen to mention this not-so-happy-time (for all of us) and you're right...that is way worse than being wrong.

8. Pretending it's okay. So you spent the entire evening arguing over this, that, and the other thing. You've gone to bed in different places, still fuming. Want to make matters worst? Act like everything is okay the next time you see her. This only makes her feel like you didn't take her or the issue seriously. This doesn't mean that you still have to be angry the next time you meet up, but try to address the issue and allow conversation about it. If you (as a couple) do not allow the conversation to be resolved, it will only snowball to be a bigger deal the next time it comes up!

9. Not calling. So you worked late and you were going to swing by before you hit the sack. Maybe you're married with kids. Regardless, she wants to know when you're leaving wherever so that she can know when to start worrying. We know, it may sound crazy. But, if you get off work at 11 p.m. and it takes 45 minutes to get home, we know to start worrying at about 12:15 a.m. If you let us know that you'll be working a little bit late, and you call to tell us you're on your way home 30 minutes later than normal, we know not to worry as early! We worry because we care. We love you! We want you to be safe.

It goes without saying that men and women are not cut from the same cloth. While we know that men see things in black and white more often while women see a million shades of gray, it's going to make life a lot easier if you know where we're coming from. We want to be your strong and independent significant others, but there are ways you can help us do that! The bottom line is, if we feel like you care, it will be okay.