Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Things that drive a woman crazy

Lately, there has been much inspiration for a post on things that drive women crazy. Between this post by one of my favorite 20-somethings discussing what makes her most crazy, recent discussions on pet peeves, and an article from Men's Health discussing the 5 things you should never say to a woman (some of which are highly accurate).

In my recent discussion, the annoyances we discussed were broader than those discussed by my friends above. Most of these cross both genders and can apply to relationships of any type - even if I don't know you. So, on to the pet peeves:

1. Shushing - first and foremost I can not stand the sound. But more than that, it's the meaning behind the sound. Not only are you telling me to shut up, you are doing so as if I was a child. Not okay!

2. This blends well with #1 - Treating me like a child. Don't tell me how I should behave in public, speak down to me as if I'm ignorant or even worse, correct me in public. If there's something I should know not to say about someone (i.e., no jokes about falling off a cliff if your friend's mom just died falling off a cliff) then give me the heads up, tactfully, beforehand. And I promise to do exactly the same when roles are reversed.

3. Telling me to calm down or relax - this is first on the list in the Men's Health article and it's spot on. If I have come to you to talk something through I'm either venting (which personally, I will tell you off the bat that I just need to bitch for a moment) or I'm looking for advice and ultimately a solution to whatever is bothering me. "Relax," is not a solution.

4. Slow and/or ignorant drivers - I am from Michigan. We drive fast there, that's no surprise. In the big cities of Texas, driving is extremely aggressive (the express ways of San Antonio are some of the craziest I've ever driven - and that includes my experiences in California and New York). No offense to all my favorite Ohioans out there, but damn y'all drive slow. And since when is it okay to drive in the left lane just because you feel like it - that's the fast lane?!

5. Dishonesty and disrespect - both are much more than pet peeves, these are relationship deal breakers. Personally, I can not be friends with someone who disrespects or lies to me. Period.

So tell me dear readers, what are some of your biggest pet peeves?

Cheers!

-A

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shh.
I wish you'd relax and stop acting like a child. If you would just calm down, we could take a nice slow, Ohio drive in the left lane somewhere.
Actually, I've got some pet peeves about that Men's Health article. This might be sound advice for a neanderthal man (and there are plenty of them out there), but you have to know your woman a little more than that for these things to work and/or not backfire. My advice to men: pay attention and remember. You'll figure out what to say and NOT to say as you go along.

Narm said...

My pet peeve - when girls ask ridiculous questions. "Would you still love me if I didn't have legs?"

How am I supposed to answer that?

alexa @clevelandsaplum said...

ooo this is a good one.

i hate fake people - i know thats general but still

i can't stand overly tanned 21 year olds with chunky highlights and frosted make up - the sight of them make me hurl

i also get annoyed with bad service at a restaurant.

Dolce said...

Great post! I e-mailed the Men's Health article to my husband. Most of our bickering last week wouldn't have happened if he he didn't break rules 1 and 3.

Anonymous said...

I am reading the "relax" one out loud to my boyfriend right now.

Maxie said...

I hate it when people tell me to calm down... because either 1) I don't want to calm down or 2) I'm not even worked up. It makes me want to strangle them-- okay maybe that was overly violent, lol

Holly said...

Oooh, excellent list. I agree. :)

Anonymous said...

1.) wasting time by searching for things (keys, tools, etc.)

2.) people over-explaining things to me... if i said 'i got it' then 'i got it'!

3.) waiting around, i'm extremely impatient, although i try to hide it.

4.) indirectness (if that's a word)... if you need or want something, just tell me, don't hint around cause i'll ignore it.

that's my list.

Jourdan said...

A boss who repeatedly asks for something you have already done/sent to them. You should understand this one A!

Jamie said...

When girls say you're a "nice guy." El lameo

Britni said...

I almost did my thirteen pet peeves today but didn't have time to think about it. Glad you got it covered for me. My biggest pet peeve is probably when people try and tell me how to do something and when they're very condescending (treat you like a kid) about it like they know and you don't. I just can't stand someone thinking I don't know how to do anything.

Ashley said...

luke - agreed that not all apply to every woman. Though I'm sticking behind the fact that no woman, anywhere, likes to be told to relax.

narm - good one! I've witnessed these types of questions before. Regardless of the answer, it never ends well.

alexa - fake people fall under the dishonest category for me - if you can't be yourself then you're lying about something, right?

dolce - thanks for the inspiration!

transienttravels - glad I could help. How did it go over?

maxie - #2 is so true! There's a person in my life who does that all the time when I'm not even stressed. It instantly turns me into a raging bitch and makes me want to punch him in the face.

holly - though most of those seem basic, it appears quite difficult for most to understand...

ajt - I'm chuckling at your #3. Is that why you always come to meet me, so I can be the one who waits around?

jourdan - do I ever! There are a number of MLK quirks that could fall under the pet peeve category. But in the end, you gotta love her!

jamie - you're such a nice guy!

playful - glad I could fill in. Talking to me like a child will only get me worked up, then you really will have to tell me to relax.