I shop with my wife.
There. I said it. I’m sorry guys. Do I lose my man card?
I have sometimes been criticized by other men that say I put pressure on them to live up to that standard with their own wives. And I’m sorry if that’s the case. I realize many men read this blog.
I explain that a shopping mall is not necessarily my preferred place to be on a Saturday, but I love my wife and I love spending time with her. She sometimes likes to shop, so many Saturdays I find myself somewhere shopping with her.
I also know my blog readership is about 40% women, so today I want to address you in this issue. My goal, as always, is to improve and strengthen marriages. Spending time together always helps this occur. At least that’s the theory. 
Here are 7 tips to get your man to shop with you:
Give him a mission. Men love a purpose. Most men are hunters by nature. Tell us exactly what you are looking for, that you haven’t been able to find it anywhere and that you need his help finding it. Then get out of his way and let him hunt!
Understand his limit. This is not the day to hit every store. Especially if your husband is not regularly into shopping, don’t make him become a marathoner in the first race. Ease him into the idea. And when he’s hungry, feed him well. Even let him pick the place.
Let him carry packages to the car. He’s going to be looking for something to do. He may want to make several trips to the car. He’ll show you how strong he is. Let him serve you.
Include a stop for him. If he wants to look at tools for a while, don’t complain if he already looked at dresses. And if he wants to sit in the middle of the mall and people watch — don’t complain.
Don’t push stores he doesn’t like. Save those for the girls trips. (Personally, I don’t care for the candle shops or soaps and lotion stores. To me if you have smell one, you have smelled them all.)
Give him credit for going and don’t expect it to be his favorite way to spend a day. Recognize he is doing it out of love for you, not for the activity of it. Don’t tell all his friends he “loves to shop with you”. And don’t expect him to want to go every time you do.
Give him time to enjoy the things he enjoys doing at other times. And, if he wants you to do so, do them with him without complaining.
Girls: Does your husband shop with you? What are your tips for us?
Guys: Do you shop with your wives? What keeps you going?
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I shop with my wife each time she goes. It's not my most loved movement, but rather she regularly instructs me to "go take a gander at the fellows' stuff".
Nice Tips.
I shop with my wife almost every time she goes. It's not my favorite activity, but she often tells me to "go look at the guys' stuff". Our lives are so crazy with four kids and our jobs that it's at least a significant amount of time we can spend together.
Amen. Good husband.
Great post, definitely outside the norm, but really good!! It is the surprises like this that keep the 40% coming back for more and why my wife enjoys your blog.
whenever I go shopping with my wife, even if its for groceries, she expects me to lead. And that makes me feel like I’m doing something for my family that needs to be done.
Great post,Pastor Ron. I shop with my wife. I love it. I look forward to it. Sometimes, I do it alone armed,with a shopping list prepared by her. Maybe I am the exception. I also get criticiized by friends who say I am keeping the bar too high for them. Your points are valid – with my love for shopping, anytime I feel taken advantage of by my wife, I get put off. Thanks!
Amen. Thank you