5 Tips & Tricks for a Happy Marriage – To hopefully keep you out of my office!
Marriage advice from a divorce attorney? You probably would not go to a divorce attorney for marriage advice, but over my six years of exclusive family law experience, I have witnessed and learned many of the pitfalls that couples fall into that lead to the demise of their marriage. Today, I am going to share five tips that hopefully will keep you out of my office!
1. Communication: The number ONE issue that brings people to my office is the failure to communicate. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard a client say “He won’t talk to me” or “She doesn’t tell me what is going on.” It is devasting to hear. For most couples, communicating helps improve your relationship and keep you on the same page in your relationship. For example, even a quick text or phone call can help open the lines of communication during workdays. If you can communicate about the small “day-to-day” stuff, you are more than likely able to discuss bigger issues when they arise.
2. Travel Together: While a vacation in Aruba would be nice, traveling as a couple could simply mean a date night out of the house. Spending time without the stress of work, kids, or “normal life” is vital for any relationship. Many couples in my office often complain that they have not traveled in years together, or even gone on a date. Every relationship takes work and time, but allowing private time together can revive any relationship. Although you may spend “every day” together, you may not be spending quality time together. Quality time is critical to maintain a strong bond, healthy relationship.
3. Share Financial Information: Both parties in a relationship need to know what is going on financially in the marriage. Not disclosing or hiding financial information is never a good idea for a happy marriage. Both parties need to know about bank accounts, retirement accounts, budgets, costs, monthly expenses, and the like. Usually, if both parties know the status of their finances, they can more easily work together though any financial strains toward a successful financial future. Clients will often confess to me “I had no idea we were in so much tax debt” or “he racked up so much credit card debt.” Or ore simply, “I do not know about the finances.” Regardless of how well the relationship or marriage started, the absence of financial transparency normally reflect an unstable relationship and marriage.
4. Discuss Family Issues Openly: Discuss your issues openly! If you are struggling to parent your children, talk to your spouse about your concerns and issues. Come up with a plan. It is never good to feel alone, and you should not feel alone especially in a relationship and marriage. The ability to communicate with your spouse about problems, concerns, or issues related to your family is essential. Marriage provides the opportunity for a partnership, and that partnership is to help each individual spouse take on those issues together. If spouses feel alone, then many of such spouses often find that divorce is the better option for them.
5. Seek Counseling: Whether you are in a happy relationship or not, I cannot recommend counseling enough! Counseling provides so many benefits to help couples though the issues listed above as well as in other areas beyond this article. Find a good marriage counselor that you both can trust. If both people feel confident in the counselor selected, the success rate for counseling can be amazing.
If you or someone you know is going through a family law dispute, our Modern Legal Team is here to help.
Written by: Theresa E. Viera
