For the past week, I’ve been researching, daily, the best places for a weekend trip in Colorado with my husband. I did a LOT of comparisons, read what feels like hundreds of reviews, and even went as far as looking at Instagrammers location/check-in photos. I’ve been getting pretty excited for the coming summer and wanted to share that with my husband.
This has been a thorough process. Just an FYI to the FBI, if you’re looking for a new researcher, you can stop right now. It’s me. I’m just that good.
Anyways, I was SO excited to tell my husband I’ve finally picked a place for us to travel to. It’s beautiful, not too far for a weekend trip, and it’s going to cost less than we thought! We chose to go to Camp Dick (Don’t worry guys, that’s a real place). So, I tell my husband with utmost cheer and anticipation hoping for his excitement to match my own. But you can imagine my disappointment when all I receive back from is a “Cool” along with a measly thumbs up.
HELLO?! I just planned a trip for us. I sacrificed my ever-sacred lunch breaks at work to finish reviewing places. I filtered through the useless reviews. I even searched endlessly for a place that allows our dogs to come too! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not mad or upset with my husband at all for his reaction. This is just a classic case of Mancitement. Maybe you’ve never heard of it, But I assure you, it’s a very real thing.
For most of you who are in trip-planning relationships, I’m sure Mancitement is old news. It’s not the first time this has happened to me and I can assure you it’s definitely not the last.
What is Mancitement?
Mancitement is when you share news you consider to be mutually exciting with your man, and through no fault of your own, get a reaction that is less than acceptable or thrilling for your liking.
That’s not to say my husband isn’t excited about our trip. He’s actually pretty stoked. But, he just doesn’t show the excitement in the same way I show it. He shows his Mancitement instead.
Instead of jumping up and down and laughing and chatting with friends about it, he chooses to show his Mancitement in different ways. Instead of throwing verbal confetti in the air with ‘yay’ and ‘awesome’, he makes shows his Mancitement by making sure our tire pressure in the SUV is correct, the oil change we’ve been putting off has been completed, and that we pack extra water.
BUT, nonetheless, it can leave you, the obvious and visibly excited one feeling a bit down if you try to share this fun news.
I’m sure you’re all wondering how you can identify Mancitement. Well, I’ve decoded some of the standard signals that show when your fella is suffering from Mancitement and what those signs and signals can possibly mean in your situation. (Also, what the heck causes Mancitement?! Society’s standards on boys vs girls emotions? Hmm! Something to think about.)
Signs He’s Mancited
Now, the first two options are pretty simple signs and easy to recognize. Fortunately for me, my husband makes sure to speak in clear Mancitement to me for easy understanding. (I’m not fluent yet, but getting there). However, I know there are a lot of grey areas many people face in regards to Mancitement and I wanted to help clear those up a bit for you as well.
The “Cool”
For example, if you’re husband hears awesome news about a weekend trip and replies with a sly ‘Cool’ it actually means ‘I’m so relieved you did all of the work. Thank you so much and I can’t wait to go! I’ll start getting the SUV put together so we are safe and can have fun!’
The Thumbs Up or High-Five
If you get a thumbs up, or the alternative high fives, your man is clearly giving the body language of ‘If I had glitter confetti you better believe I’d be throwing it in the air but all I have are my hands!’
The “Mmhmm”
For those of you who receive the ever infamous ‘Mmhmm’ while your man checks his phone, it can mean one of two things. He either is so engulfed trying to Pinterest an anni-birth-surprise-versary party for you that he can’t look away or lift his eyes from his phone. Now, these can happen, though the chances tend to be a bit slim. What it most likely means is ‘I’m answering yes to everything you’re saying because let’s face it, we’re going to do what you want to do anyway.’
While this isn’t the most exciting response, it sure does make it easier for other occasions when you want to plan some quick me-time at the spa while on a family trip because husband said ‘Mmhmm’ when you asked if he’s okay with watching the kids/dogs while you do your thing.
Now, if you’re still reading, here comes the ultimate sign of Mancitement that will tell you when you’ve really made him mancited.
The Sit Up or Stand Up Straight
If you share the news with your man and he starts to sit up or stand up straight, this is one of the biggest reactions you can get!
It’s sort of the equivalent of the ball dropping on New Year’s Eve. Every inch in height he gains as you discuss the trip description is like the countdown of three, two, one… HAPPY TRIP PLANNING!
You’ll know then that he’s stoked!
He actually put his phone down, perked those ears up like a rabbit, and practically begged you for the details. And if your man does the above in pair with the ‘Cool’, girlfriend you nailed this trip!
There are about a million other terms/gestures that are affiliated with Mancitement. Please help a sister out and share your experience of Mancitement below. (Bonus points if you have a story about that!)
For more blogs on travel or how to prepare for your summer 2018, visit our blog post on 7 Cheap Travel Essentials!
*Disclaimer: my husband is wonderful and we have a healthy balance. But hey, it’s fun seeing the differences we have in body language, verbal communication, etc.
