MEN often complain that they don't know what women want. It was even the subject of a Hollywood movie of the same name.
But now a former Gymea Baptist Church youth leader has come up with an app which he says makes men's lives easier.
Mark Reilly, 45, grew up in Kirrawee and attended Gymea Baptist Church throughout his younger years.
He became a Baptist minister and for the past three years has been the senior pastor at Camden, where he lives with wife of 18 years, Donna, and their two daughters, 13 and 10.
He said his Legend Husband app gave men an idea of what their wives really needed from their marriage.
Mr Reilly said he used his many years of experience leading couples through pre-wedding and marriage counselling as well as marriage enrichment seminars when designing the app.
He said the Legend Husband app grew from a discussion at a party.
"I joked I needed a wife app, then we discovered that none of the men in the group knew their wife's shoe or clothing size, much to their wives' horror," Mr Reilly said.
He said he was able to put to use "all the stuff I've done wrong over the past 18 years of marriage" when designing the app, which included a place to record important dates, such as birthdays and anniversaries, a love-language discovery link and an argument referee (the screen changes colour when it's your turn to talk).
"While the screen is pink, it's her turn, while it's blue it's his. Everyone gets to say their piece uninterrupted, without having to shout over their partner," Mr Reilly said.
There's also a video feature so you can record your wife telling you how much she loves you, then play it back to her "when things are crazy".
And what does his wife think of the app?
"She loves it," he said.
"She is very supportive of it."
He admitted a Legend Dad app might be in the pipeline but said he lacked the knowledge to write a Legend Wife app.
Legend Husband is available from iTunes app store for 99 cents.
Mark’s tips to make your wife happy:
- Try to meet your partner’s needs, but bear in mind ‘‘no one person can meet everybody’s needs’’.
- Show your wife you love her, don’t just tell her. Mark suggested surprising her with a small gift. He might buy his wife a Cherry Ripe ‘‘just to let her know that I am thinking of her’’.
- Have regular date nights. He and his wife pencil theirs in every week, but it might not happen for a fortnight. Again, money or lack of a babysitter shouldn’t matter. ‘‘It can be maybe going out, even for a coffee,’’ Mark said. ‘‘You can cook a nice dinner at home. Or you can tell your kids ‘this is our time now’ and you go to one half of the house, or go to the bedroom and lock the door.’’
Would you sign up for the Legend Husband App? What are your tips for a happy marriage?
