Dear Queenie,

I try to be a considerate husband. I often tell my wife I love her and buy her gifts. She's a good housewife and works part-time too.

My problem is, she never buys me any gifts, not even for my birthday or Christmas. For my birthday she made my favourite dinner and baked a big cake and that was it. For Christmas she did the same thing. It's not as if we can't afford for her to spend some of her salary on some little thing.

Queenie, it hurts that she doesn't care enough to take the time to buy me some kind of gift, even if it's just a pair of socks or a new shirt.—Neglected

Dear Neglected,

You talk about all the gifts you buy your wife, but you don't mention how much you help her around the house, so I am guessing you don't help out that much. That means your wife, in addition to her part-time outside job, cleans, cooks, washes the dishes, does laundry, buys groceries and probably picks up after you too.

On top of that, she makes an extra effort on special occasions to make special treats for you. And after all that you have the gall to complain that she doesn't love you enough to go out and shop for some little gift? How much time and effort does she put into those special meals and treats in addition to all the time and effort she normally spends taking care of you?

I have a suggestion. Instead of buying her some trinket for her next birthday, offer to take over her household chores for a week, or even just a weekend, never mind cooking her favourite meal or baking a cake, even just a little one. Then write and tell me which shows more love: a new shirt or pair of socks on your birthday, or a clean house, clean clothes and good meals every day of the year?