Toddler. That’s what she says I can be. I’ve never thought of myself that way. What makes me a toddler? I asked Mrs. Lion and she said, “You want things when you want them.” Does that mean I pout or throw a tantrum if I don’t get what I want immediately? I don’t remember doing either. Clearly, therre is a problem with communication.

To be fair, she gave another example of “toddler” behavior. She says that I, and all other men, are big babies when we are sick. Women, on the other hand, stoically accept illness and soldier on. When I’m sick, I go to bed and try to stay comfortable.I tend to get hit hard when I’m sick and recover fully. Mrs. Lion says that illness comes on slowly and hangs around for a long time. OK, I get zapped, she rarely does.

She says that based on her private poll of other women, all men are like this. We want what we want and are big babies when we are ill. I think that everyone wants what they want. If I ask Mrs. Lion for something and she doesn’t acknowledge the request, I ask again. If she can’t do what I ask soon after I ask her, I expect some idea of when she can do it. If it is something she can’t or doesn’t want to do, I expect she will tell me.

“No” is a valid response to a request.

The other day I wrote about maternal punishment (“Maternal is Not A Dirty Word“). I pointed out that maternal behavior toward an adult partner is not the same as it is with a child. Maybe having a Y chromosome does make me want mothering as an adult. It’s certainly true when I am sick. Doesn’t a mother say no when a child makes an unreasonable request?

I’m not suggesting that Mrs. Lion should treat me like her child, but it seems to me that if she and other wives see their husbands as a sort of “special case” child, then maybe they should be treated appropriately. Maybe Mrs. Lion has to learn to say “not now,” “later,” or even “no.” She certainly should spank her naughty toddler. We agreed that she should do that.

It seems unfair to me that she labels me a toddler but does not respond as she would to a real one. Right, Mrs. Lion?

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