Advice On Marriage: What Happened To Happily Ever After?

posted on 11/02/2009

The fairytale wedding is over and now its time to live happily ever after. Right? Hmm, wouldn't it be great if it were that easy! The truth of the matter is, marriage is tough and it takes a lot of work from both partners. There is no magical love potion that will keep you and your partner madly in love and there is no magical spell that will keep your marriage strong, healthy and happy for all eternity.
The very first thing that a marriage needs in order to work is a stable beginning. If the relationship was rocky or if either of you were unhappy while you were dating, how can your marriage be any different? There are times in our lives when we just have to accept that love is not enough. Now, don't get me wrong, love is great and it is extremely important but there is so much more to a relationship. A healthy relationship needs love in the mixture but it also needs friendship, trust, communication and similar goals.
Once the marriage begins, it will take hard work and common sense from both people in order to maintain a stable, loving marriage. Keeping a marriage alive and well can seem to be impossible on some days but its not. Believe it or not, there are dozens of simple common sense tips that will keep the love flowing. Here is just a few:
1. Never assume or jump to conclusions.
2. Say "I love You" as often as possible.
3. Have a date night as often as possible. Perhaps once or twice a month.
4. Hold hands.
5. Kiss and hug several times a day.
6. Let the each other know that they are appreciated.
7. Communicate, communicate, communicate!
8. Respect each other.
9. Chill out on the nagging and the questioning.
10. Forget all of the stress for a few minutes each day and just enjoy one another.
11. Remember that both of you are equally important.
12. Never go to bed angry.
13. Know that all couples argue but be respectful.
(No cursing, hitting, mentioning divorce, placing blame, etc.)
There are so many things that couples can do to keep their marriage happy. It just takes the desire and effort to do so.