Seventeen gems of advice on marriage
Here are seventeen gems of advice on marriage
1. Manage your Expectations
“My parents always say relationships are all about communication and expectations.”
2. Never Assume, Ask
“My dad told me, ‘never assume.’ You will never really know what your partner wants unless you communicate”
3. Remember To Always Say “I Love You” and “Thank You”
“I’ve been married 21 years and we got married young — at 19 and 20. A couple things I think have helped us. Anytime we say goodbye, we always say, ‘I love you’; and we make sure to thank the other for all the things we do. Like if he takes out the trash, I say ‘thank you.’ If I wash the dishes, he says ‘thank you.’ It just makes sure you never take the other for granted and they know it.”
4. Continually fall in love with your partner.
“Marriage is falling in and out of love with someone over a lifetime. You can’t expect to be head over heels in love with someone all the time. You learn and grow with each other and find new things to love.”
5. Don’t be so quick to judge.
“If I had to whittle it down to one piece of advice, it’s never to accuse, but to inquire. Gain your partner’s perspective before rushing to anger. Judging too quickly or too harshly is an avoidable cause for many, many fights.”
6. Don’t give 50 percent, give 100 percent.
“[A relationship] isn’t 50/50, it’s 100/100. Otherwise it won’t work. It also takes a lot of trust and respect. People get angry, but then you make up. Remember that your relationship is YOURS. Not anyone else’s, so don’t compare it to your friends’ relationships. And if something is bothering you, say so. Don’t sit on it, that only fosters resentment and makes things worse.”
