Learn How to Avoid Common Problem Areas In Relationships
Many young couples' expectations of marriage revolve around the false belief that love will get them through rough times. While love is important, it won't be enough if you do not have the basic knowledge and skills for a successful marriage. Lasting marriages require partners who respect one another, have gained knowledge about what makes marriage work, and have developed skills that will help the relationship go the distance.
Most couples face their most serious challenges during the first five years of marriage. The “top ten problem areas” researchers have identified are:
- Balancing job and family
- Frequency of sexual relations
- Debt brought into marriage
- Employment
- Finances
- Expectations about household tasks
- Constant bickering
- Communication with spouse
- Problems with parents or in-laws
- Lack of time spent together
Through active marriage preparation, many of these problems can be avoided, or at least minimized, so they don't become toxic to an early marriage.