I have aquestion for non-ADDers: How do you respond when you spouse tells you she meant to do something, but in fact, didn't? I'm not talking about a situation in which she forgot to do something she said she was going to do. I'm talking about something else.
The kind of situation I am talking about here is one where she has actually heard me that I would appreciate it if she sometimes would do some of the things that I usually do - like get the morning coffee, empty the dishwasher, start the laundry, etc., and she intends to do one of these things before I do it, but then I do it before she gets to it.
So she'll say something like "Oh, *I* was going to get the coffee this morning" when I bring her coffee, or "Oh shoot, *I* was going to empty the dishwasher" when she sees me emptying the dishwasher. So I hear that she would like to do these things for me once in awhile (and I believe her), but she hasn't been able to turn the intent into an action.
Sometimes my response is a genuine appreciation of "well, at least she was thinking of it and that means she heard what I said". Sometimes it's more of a sarcastic thought of "oh that's nice, a lot of good her thinking about it did." And sometimes, when she implies that it is my fault she didn't do it, because I'm just too fast in doing it myself and so I didn't give her a chance to do it, (or when she actually tells me she would have done it if only I wasn't so quick to do it) it actually pisses me off.
I have never responded to those kinds of statements because I'm just not sure what to say.
We have the intent vs action
Submitted by Sparkle on
We have the intent vs action talk quite a bit, too.
In the specific cases you mentioned, like with the coffee - I've learned to just say, cheerfully, "Your turn to get the coffee!" and leave it at that. If my partner ever says "hey, I was going to do that..." I just tell him that next time I'm about to get coffee or empty the dish washer or whatever, I'll give him a heads up in case he was planning on doing it. And I do. I try to use humor to diffuse the tension surrounding it, too. "Hey honey, I was about to empty the dishwasher and then I remembered how you said I was too quick to do these things without giving you a chance --- well, I've stopped myself so that you can have that chance you wanted." And then give them a sweet, generous smile and a kiss and toss them a dish towel.
When this happens enough times, they can no longer play the "I was gonna..." card because you force them to either put their money where their mouth is, or tell you that in fact they really don't want to do whatever it is and would like you to do it instead.
I Like That Idea
Submitted by Hoping4More on
Thanks - I'll definitely try that!
You Need to Ask AT THAT MOMENT (or schedule it)
Submitted by Ren on
I've finally learned after the ADD diagnosis that intent doesn't mean much. My husband just has a lot of trouble translating the intent into action, and for a long time he felt like he deserved credit just for the intent. He finally discovered that not following through on intentions doesn't mean squat. Even so, now I have to specifically ask him to do things. e.g., "Honey, can you please make me some coffee by the time I'm done with my shower?" and he does it. Ditto with other household tasks. Occasionally he'll do some dishes spontaneously, which I am quick to reward with effusive praise and affection (remember Shamu?). If they are things for farther out into the future, he has learned to put it in as a time-specific task into his Blackberry, which he then merges with his calendar so it shows up on his BB like "2pm: put laundry in dryer" and the BB alarm beeps when it's time for him to do it and he does it.
Yes, having it be a production where you announce what has to be done or where you have to stop so someone can program in a basic daily task does take the romance out of something that would be nice to have done on the person's own initiative. But I am learning to be grateful that he is making an effort to put things into place so he can follow through on intentions at all, which for me is progress. Sometimes he has to spell things out for me, too, like how to fix the internet when the connection goes down or whatever, so it probably evens out somewhere in the universe. I think you need systems in place to help your wife follow through on her intentions.
How can I suggest something without sounding like I'm nagging?
Submitted by TRIX on
An example: the house has just been cleaned and the counters are cleared. My spouse has just made a sandwich but has left all the ingredients and wrappers on the counter and is walking away. When I clean up after my spouse, I get the "I was going to do that..." but when I wait to see if my spouse will put things/throw things away, it isn't done. Can I get a tip on how to deal with that seemingly simple situation please? I don't want to sound like a nag...again.
Tip
Submitted by Nettie on
I know people may not want notes posted everywhere (although I've worked with people whose offices sprout sticky notes on every surface), but one worked for me. DH left his dirty tea cup in the same spot every time, with the same "I was going to get back to it" others on the forum have described. The spot happened to be next to the dish soap, and I frequently knocked the cup into the sink. I finally put a small piece of masking tap on his spot that said "cups-dishwasher." It worked, after a week I removed the bit of tape, and he now cleans his cup without a reminder.
Be aware, though, that I have often stressed him with too many requests at once. Choose wisely.
P.S. Sparkle has a good suggestion also, but it's less likely to work with my husband. He would simply respond, "if you want the dishwasher unloaded, tell me to unload the dishwasher." Subtleness does not work on him - he hates it.
Thanks...it's the little things.
Submitted by TRIX on
Thanks Nettie, it's honestly the little things that tend to add up that drives me crazy! I do appear like the "neat freak" and I know that it may hurt my partner's feelings by following behind, cleaning up afterwards. I want to respect my spouse and now I think with this new arsenal of knowledge, I hope that I can accomplish that. I appreciate all the tips on making life more tolerable. Thanks again.