by-grace-of-god:

From a Catholic husband on Facebook:

If you send the message to your husband–whether explicitly or implicitly–that you don’t need him; that you can manage just fine without him; that he’s more trouble than he’s worth; that he’s expendable…he WILL pick up on it. He will start to think to himself, “well, if I’m not needed, why am I here?” After all, you are a strong, autonomous woman. He will check out, because he has no purpose in your eyes. You’d be surprised just how demoralizing this can be for a man.

For better or worse, a man’s sense of self-worth comes largely from three things: working, being respected, and being needed. You may not be able to do anything about the first, but the second and third are within your control. Trust me…it’s huge.