Caution: Unspoken Expectations

The Powerful Paragraph

When we first got our puppy, we immediately enrolled him in puppy training school. We learned new commands and training techniques every week, which I spent hours doing with our new puppy. I noticed, however, that my husband didn’t spend very much time training the puppy. This went on for a few weeks, and each passing week I became more frustrated. There were times it felt like I was training the puppy in a fit of anger simply because my husband wasn’t participating. Finally, I brought my frustration to his attention much to his surprise. He thought that I was enjoying the training so much that he didn’t want to take over when I was in the middle of a training session. We both made assumptions but mine was worse, because I had an expectation for my husband that he would equally participate in the training that I never once voiced to him. It definitely looked like I was enjoying my time, so how would he know that I was frustrated? Unspoken expectations can be a poison in a relationship. Expressing them clearly and concisely will go a long way to avoid uncomfortable conversations.