Hi, askTRP. Another scenario-question to throw to the hounds:

I bought my wife flowers today because of an occasion at her work. I even made a little card with a few short sentences of love in them, and pretended to sign the baby's signature too.

My wife came home ranting about her friends, then spent one or two seconds on the flowers and reading the card, and then was wanting to talk about how one friend is possibly replacing her with this other friend or something. The baby at this point is asleep. But this type of talk, while boring, is also boring. But I felt as a husband and her being my first mate I would allow her to tell me her story which she asked to tell me. So she told me. She asked my advice.

Now I told her that I didn't think anything was wrong but it was up for her to decide. We talked about it briefly. Then she went upstairs and was texting no doubt. Then she came downstairs and was walking around texting.

I said "You have to decide whether you want to get hung up about this all day or not before the baby wakes up." She said, "I don't have to decide anything." I said "You have to decide because I am not hanging out with someone hung up over something like this all day."

So she sarcastically apologized. I ignored her sarcasm. She sat down and in a sarcastic voice said that the thing I bought the flowers for didn't happen until next month and that today was just the prep for that. As she was saying this I wasn't breaking frame--rather I just said "Oh, really? Oh, that's nice." etc. Then she said (sarcastically) thanks for telling her what she is allowed to and not allowed to talk about. I just looked at her.

So she got up and went upstairs and is now no doubt texting. Baby's still sleeping, but I will have to steer somewhere after she wakes up in about an hour. My wife just put on her sandals and said "Let me know when she wakes up" I said "Let me know when she wakes up" and then went outside on our deck.

Ideas? Lessons learned?

Cheers, guys. Thanks for being friends during this ride.