What We Wish Mom Had Told Us about Men... Before We Got Married

The real secret to a happy marriage? "Don't go to bed angry" is just the beginning. We asked women on the iVillage message boards what they wished their moms had told them about men before marriage. Some of our favorite responses:

1. If you ask him to do something, make sure to look him in the eye and give him very specific instructions. If you don't, you'll get the standard "uh-huh" response, and whatever it is will never get done.
2. When a man doesn't answer a question right away, it doesn't mean that he doesn't care. He just might be thinking before answering.
3. I wish my mother had told me that men feel they need to solve every problem. My husband doesn't always understand that sometimes I just want him to listen — without getting frustrated that he can't help me.
4. I wish my parents had shown me that men are really just people, with emotions, regrets, fears and dreams of their own.
5. I wish my mom had told me that, no matter where you put the hamper, he will always throw his socks on the floor.
6. I also wish she'd told me that many of them love sports more than sex. I might have paid more attention to football.
7. Men are just as insecure about their bodies as we are.
8. Grown men still sometimes miss the toilet bowl.
9. When you marry a guy, you also marry his family.
10. I really wish mom had told me that it doesn't matter how many glasses of milk he drinks in his life; he will never learn to rinse the glass out when he's through with it!