Marriage is about partnership, love, and respect. So you can imagine my surprise when my husband, Jake, handed me a detailed schedule to “help me become a better wife.” Instead of losing my temper, I decided to handle things differently, and trust me—Jake never saw it coming.

Our marriage had always been solid. Sure, we had our ups and downs, but we were equals in every sense. The trouble began after Jake met Steve. Steve was one of those guys who had an opinion on everything—relationships, fitness, careers, you name it. The kicker? He was single. But that didn’t stop him from giving my husband relationship advice, which Jake started taking seriously.

It began with little comments. “Steve says marriages work better when the wife takes charge of the household,” Jake would say, like Steve was some relationship expert. Or, “Steve thinks women should always look their best for their husbands.” I’d roll my eyes, figuring Jake would snap out of it. But things started to change.

Jake began acting differently. He’d get annoyed when I ordered takeout after a long day at work or make passive-aggressive remarks about the laundry. It was as if he suddenly expected me to fit into some outdated mold of what a “perfect wife” should be. I thought it couldn’t get worse—until Jake came home one evening with a smug look on his face.

“Lisa,” he said, sitting me down, “you’re an amazing wife, but there’s always room for improvement.” Then he slid a piece of paper across the table—“Lisa’s Weekly Routine for Becoming a Better Wife.” I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Jake had planned out my entire week: waking up at 5 a.m. to make him breakfast, hitting the gym to “stay in shape,” doing laundry, cleaning, ironing, and cooking dinner every night, followed by hosting snacks for his friends. It was beyond ridiculous.

But instead of flipping out, I did something unexpected—I smiled. “You’re right, Jake,” I said sweetly. “I’ll start tomorrow.” Jake beamed, thinking he had it all figured out. Little did he know, I had a plan of my own.

The next morning, I studied the list again and decided to turn the tables. If Jake wanted to “improve” me, I figured he could do with some improvements himself. So, I typed out “Jake’s Plan for Becoming the Best Husband Ever.”

First on the list? A personal trainer—after all, if I had to stay in shape, so did he. I priced it at $1,200 a year. Then I factored in Jake’s love for organic groceries, which added an extra $700 a month. I threw in a few extras too, like a cooking class for Jake, since he expected me to whip up gourmet meals. And because I wouldn’t have time to work under this absurd schedule, Jake would have to cover my $75,000 salary. Oh, and if Jake’s friends wanted to hang out, we’d need a man cave—that would cost another $50,000.

I printed out the list and left it on the counter for Jake to find. When he got home, he saw the paper and asked, “What’s this?”

“Oh, it’s just a little schedule to help you become the best husband ever,” I said with a grin. As Jake read through the details, his face went pale. “$1,200 for a trainer? $75,000 for your salary? Are you serious?”

I crossed my arms. “Well, you expect me to be a full-time cook, cleaner, and hostess. I figured we’d need to budget for that.”

Jake finally got it. His face softened as he realized how unreasonable his demands had been. “I didn’t mean for it to come across like this,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry, Lisa.”

In the end, we ripped up both schedules and had a good laugh. Jake learned that marriage isn’t about fixing your partner or creating lists of expectations. It’s about growing together, respecting each other, and understanding that equality is essential.

Our marriage grew stronger from that experience, and I’m pretty sure Jake won’t be taking any more advice from Steve anytime soon.