At the risk of getting shot, I’ve decided to go public with my Valentine’s Day wish list, re- worked and edited( somewhat) from an email chain I saw recently. Hopefully you’ll forgive and indulge me, as a husband to a supportive wife and father of three loving daughters, if my list appears slightly chauvinistic. Sometimes all I want in life is to know exactly what each of them really wants. I’ve given up on second guessing and with 17, 15 and 10 year old daughters, Daddy is just trying to live a simple life. However, keeping all four females in my life content seems to be getting harder as they get older so I’ve decided to draw up a new set of rules for the O’Hare household.

• 1)Subtle hints don’t work, strong hints don’t work, obvious hints don’t work – just say it.
• 2)Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
• 3)Come to me with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s what Guys do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
• 4)Anything I said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact all comments become null and void after seven days.
• 5)If something I said can be interpreted in two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, well, I meant it the other way.
• 6)You can either ask me to do something or tell me how you want it done, but not both. If you already know best how to do it, then just do it yourself.
• 7)If I’m watching my beloved soccer team, Liverpool FC on TV , say whatever you have to say during the half time commercials or at the end of the match.
• 8)If I ask what is wrong and you say “nothing” then I’m going to act like nothing’s wrong. I know you’ll be fibbing but it’s just not worth the hassle.
• 9)If you ask me a question you don’t want an answer to, expect and answer you don’t want to hear.
• 10)You have enough clothes and too many shoes, so if I appear unenthusiastic about you buying more of either, you’ll understand why.
• 11)The toilet seat: I don’t get mad at you when you leave it down. Don’t get mad at me when I leave it up.
• 12)And finally, perhaps my most important rule considering I have to live with trying to get four females into a car: When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine.