Excerpt from Oct. 1996 Conf. Address ("Covenant Marriage") by Elder Bruce C. Hafen:
     

            "One woman told me through her tears how her husband's constant
    criticism finally destroyed not only their marriage but her entire sense
    of self-worth.  He first complained about her cooking and housecleaning,
    and then about how she used her time, how she talked, looked, and
    reasoned.  Eventually she felt utterly inept and dysfunctional.  My heart
    ached for her, and for him.

            Contrast her with a young woman who had little self-confidence
    when she first married.  Then her husband found so much to praise in
    her that she gradually began to believe she was a good person and that
    her opinions mattered.  His belief in her rekindled her innate self-
    worth."

                                   ---------------------------------------

    How would your wife rate you in relation to these two examples?
     Sometimes we just don't realize how "critical" we come across to others.
     

    A good book:  "I Don't Have To  Make Everything All Better."