Why do guys act so fragile when they're sick? My husband acts like a baby when he’s sick. I feel like a terrible wife when my husband gets sick — not majorly sick, but with a run-of-the-mill cold. Men can be terrible babies when they are sick. It is a cold! He’s not dying. I happen to have a cold right now, and I am functioning just fine and not moaning and groaning about it. Also, I am not his mother! When he whines, I shut down or become touchy and crabby. If he doesn’t whine, I’m happy to take care of him, but I can’t take the time during the day to lie in bed with him (I work from home, so I am accessible to him) to keep him warm. I can’t stay up until midnight rubbing his back, and I cannot tolerate the sappy whining. I made him aware of my disdain for the way sick men behave a number of years ago, but he still acts like the world is ending when he has a cold.
Doesn't it just tug at your heartstrings like crazy when your guy is sick? I'm sure he's tired of (and possibly feeling emasculated by) you going "awww" every time he coughs, so if you need to kick things up a notch and actually do something to make him feel better. Here are a few things you can try to boost your guy's spirits when he's under the weather.
First things first: medicine.
Why do so many guys have an aversion to actually taking medicine? It's a question for the ages. In my experience, guys are reluctant to take a medicine that will help them feel better, much less actually go out and get it. That's why it's on you to make the trip to the drugstore, buy whatever best targets his symptoms, then bring the pills to him with a glass of water.
Make him a bowl of soup!
Soup is known as the cure-all sick food for a reason. If you want to make it extra comforting and you're close with his mom, ask her for the recipe she used when he was a kid. You don't even have to tell him you did it, but the familiar taste will make him feel even more taken care of.
Give him a warm massage.
Imagine how good a massage from you feels when he's in perfect health, then multiply that by a trillion when he's all weak and tired and unable to move a muscle. If you can, go for a eucalyptus-scented oil to help him breathe better. At the end of the massage, he'll be convinced you have hands made of magic.
Empathize as much as possible.
Everyone knows that in general, men can't handle pain or sickness in the same way women do. I mean, we have to give birth. They don't know the half of it. Even if you would be hitting SoulCycle and renovating your bathroom if you had his symptoms, it's OK if he's curled up in bed, babbling about how he thinks he's hallucinating.
Make him a care package.
Whether you're long-distance or live in the same apartment, your guy will appreciate the gesture. Stuff it full of his favorite candy, the coziest blanket, and socks you can find, and something fun, like a deck of cards. Bonus points if you present the whole thing in some sort of sexy getup. This leads me to my next point...
Distract him with sex.
As long as he's not on the brink of death, he's probably going to be into it. It's like how when you're dealing with cramps and you start doing the deed, you suddenly forget all about them for a bit. Sex: It's the best medicine.