Don't Let iPhone Anger Ruin Your Relationship

Hi everyone, I normally don’t write on the weekend because it’s usually very nice outside and love spending that time with my guy and my family but something happened that I needed share so here goes.

I planned a wonderful surprise weekend for my guy because I’ll be going out of town soon to attend the Romance Slam Jam Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the darnest thing happened.  His iPhone 4S started acting up on Friday.  The phone would die, and then have several resurrections, and then die again. 

He called me on my lunch break and told me the problem and I helped him locate an iPhone repair shop but they didn’t have the battery he needed in stock.  So he placed an order for a new battery from Amazon. (We LOVE Amazon!)  But as you can guess he has been miserable from the moment his precious the iPhone got sick.

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The normal charming, witty, guy that I adore, transformed into a guy that was easily annoyed, frustrated, and irritably to the point that no one would want to be around him. His responses suddenly become out of proportion to the conversation we would be having and all because Apple didn’t make it easy to replace an iPhone battery.

Now, I know some women may think my guy is being a jerk and you’re right, but he’s a justifiable one this time. He relies on his cell phone so much, just like all of us do. He uses this iPhone for work, to keep tabs on his teenage son, and to be in constant touch with his ailing, elderly mother.  It’s also a source of how we stay in touch when we’re apart; it’s his quick reference guide, his GPS, and his connection to the latest news when he’s on the go.

So as you can guess, the weekend plans are on halt until his iPhone gets fixed. He’s thankful that I gave him an iPad Mini for Christmas because it eases his discomfort a little but not his cantankerousness.

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Now I know anger is a normal, healthy emotion that we all experience at times. And like any other emotion, anger exists on a continuum with varying degrees of severity, from minor annoyance, irritation or frustration, all the way up to fury or rage. I could see my great guy starting to transform like the Hulk last night so I think I’ll steer clear of his wrath until his precious iPhone is all better. (My honorary niece’s christening and birthday party is this weekend, Yay!)

I’ve learned it’s better to remove yourself from the situation when someone’s anger is reflective of an emotional experience or stressor, than to let them believe it’s okay to take their anger out on you. I promise you once the dust settles and the stressful situation is resolved, my great guy will return and we’ll both be laughing at the memory.

Now could someone, please tell Apple to make battery replacements easier for the people on the go? As for me, I'll stick with my BlackBerry. :)

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