In our last Facebook conversation about men who left the wives who struggled with them when they had little, for younger women after they became successful, two reasons came up repeatedly from men:
“I lost my peace.”
“My wife did not respect me.”
That got me thinking…
WHAT DOES “RESPECT” REALLY MEAN TO THE NIGERIAN MAN?
Does it mean a wife must never question her husband?
Never disagree?
Never correct him?
Never say “No”?
Or does it mean honouring him, valuing him, speaking to him with dignity and recognising his responsibilities as a husband?
The Bible says:
“Let the wife see that she respects her husband.” — Ephesians 5:33.
But in the same passage, husbands are told:
“Love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” — Ephesians 5:25.
So perhaps we need to ask both sides some honest questions.
What does respect look like from a wife?
And equally, what does a husband do that makes respect and peace flourish in a marriage?
Because respect is not fear.
Respect is not silence.
And disagreement is not automatically disrespect.
A wife can disagree with her husband and still honour him.
A husband can lead without humiliating his wife.
So, Nigerian men, when you say, “My wife must respect me,” what exactly do you mean by RESPECT?
And women, what does respecting your husband mean to you?
Let’s have this conversation. 👇🏾
#Marriage #Respect #NigerianMarriage #LoveAndRespect #HealthyRelationships
Hon. Princess Benedicta Attoh, Former Executive Chairman of Etsako East LGA. Relationship Expert, Marriage Counsellor.
