The Battle of the Middle-Aged Couple

J:  My wife and I have been arguing so much about nothing, my [22-year-old] son couldn't take it any longer.  He listened into one of the fights, and right in the middle, he yelled, "What are you guys fighting about??  Shut up!"

M:  You see, my wife and I never really fight.  We just have disagreeable discussions.  We never get to the point where we raise our voices.  It would go something like this: 

Him:  Have you seen the [thing]?

Her:  No.  Never touched it.

Him (found thing):  Interesting, because last I saw it was here, and now it’s there with all your other stuff.

Her:  Well, I was doing some cleaning.

Him:  Okay, why did you put it there?  It normally goes (belongs) here.

Her:  It was in my way.

Him:  Okay, that’s not relevant.

Her:  You weren’t here!

Him:  That’s still not relevant….  Okay, how about next time you’re cleaning, and you see this, you put it in here?

R:  Here’s some advice for you.  It’s really simple.  2 words:  Yes, dear.

J:  But if I just say that every time, there will be more and more unreasonable demands, it would get out of control.  I’ve got to keep that in check somehow.

M:  But you know you’re going to have to say yes in the end anyhow. 

J:  True.  You see, it’s not about being right or wrong.  It’s just that to keep things in check, you’ve got to make them work for that yes.  I mean, you’re married, you’re always gonna be wrong.

M (to me):  Yeah, you see, that’s a man’s thing.  It’s the art of argument.

I conclude that this is the story of the married life across cultures, at all ages.

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