Today is our wedding anniversary. Although the Big Man and I don’t exchange gifts, in honor of the occasion, I decided to give him a secret treat: a week of Extreme Nice.
My last week of Extreme Nice was back in February, as part of the month of “Sing in the morning,” which focused on marriage and parenthood. I didn’t tell the Big Man he was getting the Extreme-Nice treatment, and I don’t think he realized it—except probably to be pleasantly surprised or relieved at several points.
What is “Extreme Nice”? It’s an extreme sport like bungee jumping or skydiving—pushing the envelope, exerting myself beyond my ordinary efforts, finding new depths in myself to meet the hardest challenges. And I can do it in my own home.
So this week I intend to be utterly nice to the Big Man. No criticism. No pestering. No bickering. Jumping up to do whatever he asks me to do, responding enthusiastically to his every suggestion.
Extreme Nice was a great exercise when I did it in February. It’s not sustainable for the long term, but by doing it for one week, I reminded myself of a different standard of behavior. I want to maintain very high expectations for myself—it’s not right that I should take more care with my friends or my parents than with the Big Man, love of my life.
We wouldn’t be able to live together forever without a disagreement, but I should be able to go more than a week without nagging.
So here goes: Day One of Extreme Nice.
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If you’re looking for suggestions on how to be a better (or at least a more efficient) parent, a great source for a lot of practical yet good-humored advice is Parent Hacks.
