Throughout my 11-year relationship with my wife, I have observed and discovered a few things about her that were not noticeable when we first met.

She cannot, for example, leave the house unless her hair is styled a certain way. She hates repetitive (and what she calls annoying) sounds such as a dripping faucet, a ringing phone, or a noisy furnace. She can't finish a sentence without using the word "um" (which isn't really a word, but more of a pause or a transition into her next word). She insists on drying dishes with a towel instead of allowing them to air-dry, and she absolutely cannot make an omelet without torching the poor thing.

I don't mention these things to be mean, but rather as an observation of how men discover the habits, repetitions, and day-to-day activities of their wives. Some of her idiosyncrasies are extremely annoying to me, but I have observed numerous things about her that help make our relationship a meaningful one.

Allow me to elaborate:

1. Children need their mothers - I'll be the first to speak negatively about a screwed up court system that is apparently stacked against men during custody battles. But I would never say that a child should be without his or her mother.

   Unless a mother is psychologically incapable, or criminally negligent in some way - I can't think of many reasons why a woman shouldn't be allowed to raise her children. The love and nurturing instincts of a woman is crucial to a child's development, and my wife is one of the best at it. We don't always agree on what's best for our children, but she always seems to know what they need, what they don't need, and more importantly, how to supply it for them.

   I've slowly learned over the years that when I step back and leave the maternal child-rearing to her, the kids learn and grow just fine.

2. Talk is cheap - Not when you're dealing with a woman who knows what she's talking about! Women are better communicators than men, and I believe they are better decision makers as well.

   It has been proven biologically that women are naturally more emotional creatures than men. This fuels their innate ability to be more communicable and more open than men. My wife doesn't have the loudest voice, and she doesn't always have the answers, but when she does answer -- it's the right answer. I never admit when she's right during those heated arguments, but I know she realizes it when she goes silent -- as if to say, "We both know that I'm right, so why continue to debate about it?"

   Outside of any knock-down, drag-out arguments we may have, she's an all-around good communicator. She knows how to comfort her friends; she knows how to teach her kids; and her words towards me are always representative of a loving wife.

3. Superwoman - There was a period of time when I had no clue about the number of tasks my wife accomplished during the day, or how much stuff she had to put up with. Sista girl was running kids back and forth to school; dropping off clothes at the cleaners; going to work; leaving work at lunch to pick up theater costumes for the kids; going back to work; picking up kids after school; dropping them off for various activities; getting home and starting dinner; then taking 10 minutes to call her ill sister in St. Louis.

   How does she find time (or remember) to do all of that? The guess the answer is - "she's a woman". Women (my wife included), are very good at spreading their love, kindness, and efforts around to various places and people. In my wife's case, she's been known to do this a little too much. But if you ask her, she'll tell you that she's doing what God wants her to do -- raise good kids, and be the best woman can be.

4. Pillar of strength - Men often associate strength with physical attributes. In actuality, emotional attributes matter more. Women obviously have less of the former and more of the latter.

   This is a good thing since we often need that emotional strength for family stability. Yes - men are supposed to be the head of the household, but it's the woman who is the "heart" of the household. My wife plays this role diligently and takes on more stress, responsibility, tasks, and endeavors than I ever could. In fact, I'm probably one of the reasons her willpower gets tested every so often!

5. Goddess of love - Can't forget about this one! There is nothing more enjoyable than the soft, sensual feel of a woman. Love-making isn't the same for everybody, but women rule the bedroom.

   That's right - women dictate if and when sexual activity will take place, and they're usually the best at it. Can't say that all women know what they're doing in the bedroom, but my wife lets loose and it makes the loving that much more stimulating.

   All hail to the Goddess of the Bedroom!

They'll eventually grow up, observe a good woman, and discover it on their own.