<font color="green">Women are not merely objects to be visually evaluated and approved or disapproved of by you. (I had a boyfriend way back when who voiced his opinion on every woman he saw. Watching television it was always either "mmm, mmm, mmm," or "get off the screen, you ugly broad." The only function women had in life was to bring him pleasure, and if he wasn't pleased, the woman was worthless.)

There is no such thing as "what women want." We are individuals, not a category. Just because your ex preferred something a certain way doesn't mean every woman does. I, for one, would rather be told the truth if my butt looks big in this skirt, so I can change the skirt if need be. That's just another form of what someone else already mentioned, saying what you think I want to hear, rather than what you really think. Oh, how I HATE that!

Surprise! Women have feelings and need to cry sometimes. It doesn't automatically mean she has a female problem, or just wants you to feel like a shmuck. She hurts. And, I've seen a fair number of men use tears to manipulate a woman as well. Not all men, of course, but there are times when a man's tears are meant to say, "You know, unlike you women, when we men cry there's a reason for it, so you should feel extra bad for reducing me to this."

Don't try the "I'm incompetent at household chores" trick. Yeah, yeah: mess up the laundry or the shopping or the cooking, and next time she'll just do it herself rather than asking you again. We're onto that stunt. It's the oldest in the book.</font>