15 Lessons My Parents Taught Me about Marriage

1) Marry someone who loves you AND respects you. 

My parents are deeply in love with each other, but they also greatly respect each other. I prioritized finding a man like that, and thanks be to God, I did!

2) When you know, you know. 

My parents met years ago. They started dating in July. Daddy proposed in October. They eloped in December. Their whirlwind courtship is often the stuff of cautionary tales, but for them, it worked.

3) God blesses both husbands and wives with spiritual gifts. 

These gifts are unique to the individuals and to the couple, My parents are equally responsible for teaching me about God.

4) Say “I love you” every day. My parents tell each other “I love you” throughout the day. 

They always told my brothers and me “I love you” every day too.

5) Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith with your spouse.  

Sometimes things will be hard but have faith that tomorrow all will be fine.

6) Fight fair, and not in front of the kids. 

From my perspective, my parents only ever had mild disagreements that they easily talked through, I’m sure there were fights I never saw. I’m just as sure that my parents did their best to argue without being hurtful.

7) Apologize to your spouse when you mess up. 

My parents are pretty awesome, but they’re not perfect. Sometimes one of them will offend the other and then need to apologize.

We all makes mistakes, and it’s easy to hurt the ones we love the most. My parents taught me the importance of admitting your mistakes and apologizing.

8) Forgive your spouse for messing up. 

Just like you will offend your spouse, your spouse will also offend you. My parents always accept each others apologies and offer genuine forgiveness.

9) Spend quality time together. 

Watch movie, play games together, tell stories as you laughs together.

10) It’s okay to need alone time. 

My parents love spending time together, but they also enjoy their own activities. It’s quite common for my mom to be in their bedroom reading while my dad is in dinning room reading the paper and watching a sports game.

11) Support each others career aspirations. 

Be supportive to each other and to achieve onother's vision together.

12) Parenting is a team sport. 

Mom might have stayed home with us, but Daddy was very involved in the daily responsibilities of raising us. He attended our special birthday lunches at school every year. 

Saturday mornings were spent snuggling in the king size bed and watching cartoons while Mom enjoyed some brief kid-free time. Mom cooked dinner most nights, and Daddy cleaned up.

13) Not all married couples will have kids, and that’s okay. 

That sort of expectation can be really stressful, whether a person suffers from infertility. Stick to your partner , love each other nomatter the outcome.

14) Pay attention to the little things. 

My mom knows the kind of charcoal my dad prefers for the grill. Daddy always noticed and complimented her on new haircuts.

15) Talk to your spouse about your day. 

I remember every day, when Daddy came home from work, Mom would ask him about his day. He always let her know if work had been stressful, or if someone at the courthouse had asked about her, or if something funny had happened. When he was done talking about his day, he asked about hers.

Now that I have my own spouse, I love talking to my wife about my day, even the little things that happen.