Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1Peter3:7, ESV).

When it comes to relationships, how many times have you seen, heard, or read, “What men really want in a woman is to be confident.” Yes, well, of course nobody wants someone in their lives that is not independent, that cannot maintain themselves as a solopreneur or equally in a partnership. However, there will be times in any woman’s life when she out and out feels like a little girl.

She feels (keyword “feels”) less than, not good enough, frightened, fearful or any and all of the above – and even at the same time. And guess what – that’s okay too. The real key to what women want in a relationship is to know that when they are down and out (and, of course, there is quite a bit of that in the role of caregiver), that their man has their back. You don’t always have to have it all together, and it is perfectly okay and even expected to fall apart every once in a while.

Give Yourself Permission to Feel

This gives her man an opportunity to put her back together, to pick up the pieces, and to be the strong masculine shoulder she needs to lean on for just a little bit. Referring to a woman as the weaker vessel should never have the connotation that there is “something wrong” with her. It simply means that she is feeling vulnerable and tender, and needs to lean on her man.

• Will he pray for you?

• Will he pray with you?

• Will he lift you up?

If you are an adult woman, baby boomer, and caring for an aging parent, having a rock solid relationship is vital to your well-being. Today, women are told (or rather sold) that they have to walk into the board room or the parent-teacher conference with airs of confidence for many reasons.

• Confidence is attractive

• Confidence protects you from being taken advantage of

• If you feel, believe, pretend to feel confident you will not be walked all over

• You won’t be viewed as weak

While a man may be attracted to that confidence initially, when the rubber hits the road, will he be the man who can handle you when you are not feeling all that confident? That is the real question. Many men are attracted to confidence, according to many surveys.

However, it is important to know that those very same men that were attracted to your confidence are equally enamored by your weakness.

Some people just cannot handle emotions; not because they are either good or bad people, but because they simply cannot handle emotions. When it comes down to it, confidence is nice, but let’s be real. We are not always confident (especially in the role of caregiver to our aging parents).

• We question our abilities

• We question our choices and decisions

• We question if we can carry this through to the end

How do you honor your divine gift of emotions in yourself? Do you stuff your emotions down, pretend or say nothing is wrong? Do you sometimes hold them in until you explode? Be honest, how do you handle your emotions as a caregiver? Does someone support you in your role as caregiver? Want to acknowledge him/her? Please leave some helpful tips below.