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I have a partner who I have to keep a close eye on if I want to minimize his chances of an early expiration. What I’m saying is that some of this man’s habits could put him in a grave sooner than planned. Not that there is, um, a plan around that, but you know what I mean. If he manages to get some of the regular health screenings men should get, it’s only because I checked his calendar, made the appointment, and dragged him into the doctor’s office.
I understand that a part of spending your life with someone is taking care of him, looking out for him, and making him a better person. But sometimes, I feel my task of just keeping this man alive goes beyond my call of duty. You wouldn’t believe some of the frightening symptoms he’d just planned on ignoring if I hadn’t forced him to go to urgent care. And you would be shocked to learn what habits I had to force him to quit, because he really didn’t know they were even bad for him. Can anyone out there relate to this? I’ve developed a newfound respect for my grandfather’s in-home nurse who has to convince the stubborn gentleman to take his medication and avoid certain foods. Keeping these willful fellows on track is no easy task.
I do get frustrated sometimes because watching out for my partner’s health (when he won’t watch out for his own) does affect our dynamic. It affects date night, social occasions, our sex life…at any given point, it can affect just about anything. It turns out the “sexy nurse” fantasy is only sexy when said nurse just wears the tiny outfit but doesn’t actually require you to get a checkup or eat better. Here are reasons that forcing your partner to live healthier sucks.
His friends think I’m a nag
The time I need to keep my partner in check the most is when he’s with his friends. All health concerns go out the window then. Between the food and the alcohol and the staying up all night and the, eh, other recreational activities they may get into, I’m in a constant battle to keep him from winding up in the hospital. And of course that makes me look like the nagging partner who ruins all the fun.
