I thought it was a problem my wife has alone. The natural way she interrupts me half way through a sentence. It has caused many an upset. Then we had lunch with her friend.
We chatted away and my wife interrupted, I just stared at her and she knew I was angry. “I interrupted” she said. “Yes you did” I replied. I finished my sentence then her friend said “I’m sorry,, when did she interrupt”. After many minutes talking friendly about this it came to me that some women talk this way, chatting at the same time, listening and chatting like a juggling act.
Her friend told us she has the same problem with her husband except unlike me, when he feels interrupted, he feels compelled to go all the way back to the beginning of his sentence/story (which she finds intolerable). For me it’s a case of trying to recall where I was before the interruption. My wife tried something a while back, reminding me where I was in my story. Eg “you were saying that Mt Wellington had a great view at the top”…most times I could then recall my track.
This fundamental difference in how we are wired is a tough issue to overcome. In most other ways my wife and I are telepathically together like Siamese twins how we think. But alas there is this crack that appears to be a male/female thing.
What are the methods of acceptance of the opposite sex that we can implement that is beneficial to both. For example it isn’t fair it seems to expect a female to stop interjecting because that is their way. It isn’t fair for a male to stop them interrupting and it is unfair to expect change from what seems to be part of either nature.
What I do know is that due to meds or just being a male, I have little memory which is why I get angry because I cant recall my track, my point. Furthermore if someone merely is wanting to interject but doesn’t then I’m distracted and that is just as damaging to my attention to what I’m talking about.
This is all sooo confusing. Do others ever have the same issues? The breakdown of conversation from interjection or from a female perspective not being allowed to interject which is their natural way of communication? Has anyone overcome such major differences? I'm not expecting change, I'm wanting solutions.
Tony WK
