Let me be the first to raise my hand and admit that I’ve never been a perfect wife. Like, not even close, dude.
I’ve learned a LOT over the past few years but a lot of my growth has been trial and error, stumble and recover. It hasn’t been pretty but I’ve managed to become a wife that I actually like.
I read this list of “7 Deadly Sins of Relationships” and my goodness! I had hit every single one of these! Read on and let’s learn from my (our?) mistakes:
1. Resentment. *waves hand frantically* Ooh, wee! This was me all day every day. We had kids early in our marriage and I had a lot of resentment about how much motherhood changed my life while his (from my viewpoint, at least) looked the same. It took a toll but I learned that no one likes a grouch, especially a grouch who won’t share her feelings and make an effort to remove the resentment from the relationship.
2. Jealousy. This one is still a work in progress. (At least I can admit it, right?)
3. Unrealistic expectations. I did think my husband was supposed to be like my father – work all day, come home and then make dinner, and wash clothes. My husband did things differently and it took a while for us to find our groove. But that’s okay – it’s supposed to!
4. Not making time. Again, the kids. I know it sounds like an excuse but these kids consumed our lives for the past three years. I’m glad we invested so much time with the kids, but our marriage did indeed suffer. Luckily, we’re both committed to this thing til the wheels fall off, so we’re able to double our efforts now.
5. Lack of communication. I’ve talked about this before and I’m proud to say it has improved. I’ve learned to really listen when he talks and he has pledged to talk more so that I’m comfortable. All is good on this front!
6. Not showing gratitude.We’ve learned that a little gratitude goes a long way. It feels like a lesson that we should have learned a long time ago – like in kindergarten. But we did learn it; we just didn’t know how to apply it to a healthy marriage. Now we’re always cognizant of how long it’s been since we’ve expressed our appreciation to the other.
7. Lack of affection. Kissing, hugging, holding hands – all minimized once we said “I do.” How backwards is that? We’re now committing ourselves to those physical displays of affections – daily!
Ladies, tell me, how many of these relationship “sins” have you fallen prey to?
Waving both hands in the air meme me…now how is it that we fix it???
Crap… 4 out of 7… not my fault though. Ok fine. I will work on it!
.-= Romaine´s last blog ..Giving Back! Feature! =-.
I’m guilty of every single one of these “sins”. I have gotten better at not doing most of these things except two. When you first get married, you have no idea what you are doing. Even if you initially go into marriage thinking you know how to be a great spouse, you still don’t know until at least a few years down the line. We have been together for six years, and married for five, and I feel like I still have a ton of things to learn.