Dear Dr. R.V. Shrink:
My wife and I love the RV lifestyle. We hope to visit every National Park in the country and all the other interesting points along the way. Although we stay in many wonderful state and national park campgrounds, my wife has developed an annoying hobby of critiquing each site we occupy. She can always find fault with a site no matter how perfect I think it might be. Recently, she could hear the hand drier sound from a nearby restroom. She said it sounded like a pressure washer outside the motorhome every time someone dried their hands. She grades them by size, how close the neighbors are, what kind of view they have, shade, sun, road noise, management attitude, cleanliness, price, the list goes on. It drives me nuts. There is no such thing as perfect. I tell her you have to take the good with the bad and ugly. Can you help me with her attitude adjustment.
--Judgement Day in Daytona
Dear Judge:
Before you cure your wife of her little idiosyncrasy, could you send me her list. I know several people that would love to have it. I think your wife is just more open than the rest of us in this department. We are all looking for the perfect site. I know many people who have learned to work the new reservation system to their advantage. They continually update their campground directories with personal information of what they consider the best site locations in each park they visit. This enables them to reserve that site well in advance if they know they are going to travel that way again. Most people keep this information pretty close to the vest. As competition heats up for campsites around the country, knowledge is King. The same goes for finding and recording great little county, city and local parks that are often overlooked when passing through an area. You can find a lot of information online at sites like freecampgrounds.com, but you have to do more homework to really find the gems. It’s called experience. As long as your wife isn’t carping about every site you park in, I would encourage her critiquing. If you wanted to share that info online or around the campfire, you will find many people interested and eager to hear your input.
--Keep Smilin’, Dr. R.V. Shrink
##RV804; ##RVT897
23 comments:
Three things are against this guy! Mind, stomach, wallet. It will NEVER work and he is there for the SS!!!
What shrink failed to realize is that this woman is a whiner and complainer and her husband cannot stand it. The advice to her should be to keep her opinions to herself and quietly enter them in a journal or on rvparkreviews website. Her husband is sick and tired of her whining and complaints, and if she continues to burden him with her negativity it will breed long term and deep rooted resentment. I would refuse to travel with her if she would not stop bending my ear with complaints and negativity.
This guys wife sounds extremely negative. She will never find a suitable campsite because she doesn't want to. Any activity in life is what you make it. She wants to be miserable. If I were her husband, I would tell her to shut up and quit complaining or tell her your done RVing with her.
Actually, I would write her a letter telling her how she makes your traveling a miserable experience. When she see's it in writing, it may sink in.
Yikes, the previous Anonymous poster needs his own brand of therapy!
I think the shrink has a great idea. Perhaps Judge can work out an agreement with his better half: dear, I always know the things that will make you unhappy about where we camp but the rest of the world is missing out on your keen judgment. Why don't you start a blog to review and critique all of these places for the benefit of other RVers. No need to tell me - tell them!
What the guy should do is have his wife pick the campsite she likes best. Then her complaining is her own fault.
Whiners, nags, and complainers rarely change their negative behaviors. If whe will not shush her mouth leave her behind and travel in peace.
I agree to a point. The wife should log on to the many different rv forums and web sites that deal with rv park reviews. Her information, I'm sure, will be much more appreciated by the readers than her husband. A constant complainer can really get on your nerves very quickly. I sympathize with him.
Ron
I know someone with the same, problem, really it takes the fun out of doing anything, because I know it carries over to anything and everything in their lives, I think the you missed the agony, this person is putting her husband, and everyone else through.
We critique every campground (using MS Word)so we know if we want to go back and which sites to ask for if we do do back.
Here is our list.
Name of Park, address, town
Date/weather
Space #, pull thru, back-in, hook-up, full, partial etc
Discounts/Cost
Good Sam Park (Other Discount)/$???? per night
Easy to find?
Condition of Access Road?
Condition of Roads Inside Park
Spaces
pull-thrus? back-ins,
Site description, size, picnic tables, what side was sun on
Describe Laundry, cost? satisfied?
Restrooms: distance, heated? soap? paper towels?
Showers: size? Heated?
Water in shower – temperature? pressure?
Describe Pool/Sauna
Was WiFi available? Free or Fee?
Cable TV? Free or Fee?
Satellite friendly or too many trees?
Cell Phone reception
Misc comments
Layout of campground, which sites were good and which were bad
Anonymous is grumpy, isn't he?
I was once married to a whiny complaining glass is half empty negative woman. Now I am happy with a positive glass is half full woman who enjoys life. Life is great now!
If my wife of 36 years was like that woman, we would never have had a one year anniversary. He forgot to mention that her coffee in the morning is to hot or to cold, lunch is to dry or to wet, and her husbands BBQ is to undercooked or burnt. How would like to hear what she has to say after sex? (what sex ?).
Earplugs are a cheap solution to the noise! Can't help you with other problems.
When I have to deal with people like her, I usually hand them a semi-automatic and tell them that their life sounds unbearable and they should end it now so that they don't have to suffer any longer. p.s. Make sure the gun isn't really loaded (just to cover your behind). When I do that, most folks just start laughing and drop the subject for good or toss the gun at me. I duck and try to save the breakables!
RV Shrink? More like RV Quack. You totally ignored this mans delima and backed the nag of a woman making his life a living hell.
I recommend he give her an ultimatium. It stops immediately or divorce the nag.
As soon as the whiner starts in, put your fingers in your ears and start loudly saying nah nah nah nah nah.
She will soon take the hint, or move out which - sounds like an even better solution.
I agree with most of the responses here..the Shrink missed the point on this one. Normally I agree with his views but this time-not.
Drew
I would that he give his "nagging" wife a beautiful pink leather journal with a big satin bow and a fountain pen. Include a pale pink notecard in a pale pink envelope with the following notation. "Fill with your words of RVing wisdom. In years to come, all who read it will benefit from your insight. I love you, DH"
We only heard from her DH. With husbands and wives coming from two different planets, we should not pass judgement without hearing from his Venutian spouse. What men often refer to "nagging", we call "wisdom and advice for future reference".
You say you "both love the RV lifestyle"...sounds like she really doesn't, and finding fault with every location is how her discontent is leaking out. I'm sure she is trying to be a "good wife" by pretending to be into this...but maybe a nice long talk about what she really thinks of all this might help.
Your wife has a disgusting habit. I suggest you develop one of your own. Perhaps spitting in the sink and not washing it away, and peeing on the toilet seat and leaving the lid up. When she questions you on it, offer to trade dropping both her and your disgusting habits. If she won't stop, than neither should you.
Wife found in RV black water tank.
When I was younger I dated a woman like this guys wife for about 2 weeks. It felt like two years and I quickly broke it off. My stress levels were through the roof each time I was around her. Life is too short to put up with a negative complainer like her.
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