HINT #13 - Don't take one ounce of grief from a woman. At the very first hint of bullshit, call her on it. In
the figurative sense, slap her on the wrist. Women can sometimes be like little children wanting to be disciplined. By being a nice guy, patient, and understanding, you are like the lenient parent trying to buy a child's
respect - it can't be bought. By being soft, you are seen as being weak. From the very beginning, you have to be firm, letting her know that you will not take any bullshit of any kind from her. Don't forget, it's
what she really wants.
By "bullshit" or "grief" we mean any kind of negativity that she may direct towards you, be it moodiness, unfounded criticism, breaking a date, general bitchiness
- any type of behavior that you would deem undesirable or disrespectful.
Was she really concerned about the $1? No, she was testing him. Testing to see just how far she could push him. His reaction was to try and let it pass. He countered her arguments by saying it was really no big deal, and he would be embarrassed returning the shirt. She continued to tell him to return the shirt, and was soon demanding that he take it back. Finally he gave in and returned the shirt hoping that she would then be satisfied. In fact, she spent the rest of the day nagging him about anything and everything she could think of. It was as if he had been given a license to nag by her first victory. Returning the shirt only showed her that he would weaken if she nagged long enough.
What should he have done? At the very first hint of her nagging him to return the shirt, he should have very firmly told her that he had no intention of returning it. That he had gone shopping to enjoy himself and find some nice clothes, not to act like some cheap, tight-wad chasing around to save a dollar. His time was worth more than the dollar and he didn't want to hear another word about it. This was his only viable option.