In an article by a self proclaimed "steadily married woman," this "everycouple" wife dreams of divorce.  She describes her husband as not a bad man, but a "moderately bad man" like every other man married to every other woman.  She tells a tale of her hum-drum annoying marriage and all the things that continually disgust her and annoy her about her husband.  She goes further to state that every woman she knows is going through this "Mid-Wife Crisis" - she states:

"...when I say Mid-Wife Crisis, I mean the middle-of-married-life kind...  ...As one girlfriend remarked, it's the age of rage - a period of high irritation that lasts roughly one to two decades. As a colleague e-mailed me, it's the simmering underbelly of resentment, the 600-pound mosquito in the room. At a juncture where we thought we should have unearthed some modicum of certainty, we are turning into the Clash. If I go will there be trouble? If I stay will it be double? Should I stay or should I go?" 

Apparently there are many, many women who feel this way.  Is your wife secretly one of them?

Men: read this article - The Mid-Wife Crisis: I'm Dreaming of Divorce.  Then come back here.  This is important.  Many of us men have scratched our crotch, picked our nose, smelled our armpits, farted loudly and done much worse in front of our wives.  Why?  We are way too comfortable and complacent.  Men are pigs at heart.  We are generally dirty, smelly, drink from the milk carton, leave the toilet seat up, forgot to flush, armpit scratching pigs.  Do you think your wife loves you for all that?  Nope.  She loves you - in spite of all that.  Lucky.

When we were trying to win the hearts of our wives, we hid all that dirt and grime under a nice shirt and clean pants.  And we made sure to exit the room to fart or to blow our nose with a tissue if something was up there that needed to be extracted.  We would never think of letting one rip or sticking our finger in our nose when our date was sitting next to us.  I would hold a fart all night long if I had to until I could get to a restroom or at least about 1000 yards away from my wife when we were dating - it was not easy - but worth the effort.

So what happened?  Do you think that once you won her heart and put that ring on her finger you could stick her heart in a bullet proof trophy case never to worry about it again?  If you did the things she finds disgusting on your first date (things you don't even think about or hesitate to do now), do you think that she would have gone on a second date with you?  Probably not.  No second date = no marriage.

So you want to relax and be yourself?  Good.  But give your wife the common courtesy that you would give a stranger - would you fart loudly in an elevator full of people?  I hope not.  Give your wife the same consideration: leave the room - or at least apologize.  If you need to be gross, and we all do from time to time (yes, I have some pig in me), then have a guys night out with your buddies - fart, sniff and pick to your heart's desire if you need to get it out of your system.  But at home, be a gentleman to your wife.

Although you have become one flesh in marriage - you have not become one person.  She is an individual with a desire for a husband - not a pig.  She is not you.  She does not want to see certain things and bodily functions that you should keep to yourself.  Being a man is not only about leading and loving - it is about extending your wife MORE courtesy than you do to strangers.  It is about being selfless, humble, AND courteous.  Lead by example - show your children how to be a gentleman and a husband.  The ultimate expression and measure of manliness is reflected in how you are as a husband and a father. 

If you keep this in mind and don't act like your wife is just one of the guys then you can prevent her from dreaming of divorce.