June is the legendary month of weddings. There are more friends getting married and celebrating anniversaries than I can shake a stick at! In the wake of my own recent wedding anniversary in May, my parent's upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary, and the slew of June weddings, I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes a successful marriage.
Since I've been married two whole years now and am now a marriage expert (ha ha), here are a few observational tidbits that I think make a marriage great. This is geared more towards the fairer half of the union, but I guess the guys can read it too, if they want!
1. Treat your spouse just as courteously as you'd treat other people that you don't have to live with. My parents are awesome examples of this. I've never heard them raise their voices at each other or do the Name Game thing. What I did hear growing up were a lot of Please and Thank you and Let me help with that! They'll be celebrating their 25th anniversary in September, and I think that continuing this pattern has done a world of good in my own marriage.
2. Always greet the hubby with a big smile! I've noticed that how my hubby and I greet each other largely sets the tone for the rest of our interaction. So why not make it positive? Don't worry; there will be plenty of time for him to find out what a lousy day you had. :-P
3. Nags are old horses. Don't be one. Usually what I do for, um, a problematic request is ask on two or three occasions, and then do the darn thing myself. Most of the time, when DH sees me doing his job, he'll take over.
4. There are a bazillion excuses we wives give in order to not make love: we're tired, we're not in the mood, we don't want to deal with the mess, we don't have time, our big toe hurts, we just did our hair, and the list goes on and on and on and on. Ninety-nine percent of the time, though, it all boils down to one thing: inconvenience. Getting past my excuses and getting it on because I love my husband, even when all the stars are not aligned and I'm not particularly in the mood, and then choosing to participate- CHEERFULLY!- (notice that both words are emphasized!)-- is a great marriage builder. Hubby feels loved, and I usually end up having a great time, too!
5. Try to refrain from constantly pointing out everything he's doing wrong. ESPECIALLY if it's a household chore he's doing just for you. Unless, of course, you don't want him ever doing it again. :-P This also applies to conversations with other people. A wife is supposed to be her man's biggest cheerleader!
So there you have all my sage advice. What would you add to the list?
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This post is a participating entry in We Are THAT Family's Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival.
