When you’re in a marriage, you cannot ever win a fight with your husband or wife by shouting louder, being tricky, offering more rational explanations of your side, or marshaling friends and relatives to agree with your point of view. You cannot win by causing the person you married to lose. The only way to win is to make sure both of you come out the other side pleased with the outcome...
Does it make sense sometimes to give in on a difficult disagreement, just to keep the peace? Sure. If it will keep the peace.
But peace is not measured only in loud words, slammed doors, and angry muttering. It is most harmed by silent resentment.
Never say yes if you’re not OK with the results.
Keep looking for that Third Alternative.
If you have always thought you’re winning when you get your way and losing when you don’t, you will need to change your perspective to enjoy being married. If you go along to get along when you disagree with your spouse, you know it puts a little extra distance between the two of you. It’s harder to feel close when you’ve just agreed to something you actually disagree with...
I had an interesting chat with someone today that led me to think about all the moral differences couples encounter and how they handle them. If you’re in an arranged marriage, there is a good chance your relatives thoroughly checked out your spouse’s morals before you married. And maybe they even knew which ones truly mattered to you. If not, you probably fell in love before you even...
Agreed: A Journal to Bring Joy to Any Marriage with Too Many Disagreements, the first of three Enjoy Being Married Journals, is now available on Amazon. If you are a regular reader of the Assume Love blog, you know my mantra for enjoying your marriage: Assume Love (when you’re upset) Expect Love (when you’re disappointed) Find Third Alternatives (when you disagree) This first journal...
