Every marriage is unique, but most follow a similar path that flows through seven distinct stages. Understanding the work required at each can give you a road map for handling rough times, and help you and your spouse focus on how to be happy, secure and satisfied.
Stage 1: PassionThe honeymoom pahse when romance and intense attraction lead to comitment.
Stage 2: RealisationDisappointment and conflict mark this unavoidable period. The challenge? Laying the groundwork for a long future together
Stage 3: RebellionSlf-interest versus shared interest. Knowing the difference between a destructive desire to flee and a healthy need to be your true self is this stage's key test.
Stage 4: CooperationIn time, marriage means managing money, building careers, raising kids. Going from lover to partner to parent can get rocky.
Stage 5: ReunionOnce the kids are grown, then what? For happy couples, it's time to enjoy each other again. But the ideal can be hard to achieve. Passion's embers need stoking; expectations need rejiggering
Stage 6: ExplosionJob loss, health woes, illness or death in family-such event can come in waves. Will your marriage be source or sorely tired by new roles, limitation and fears?
Stage 7: CompletionMarital bliss often soars after decades together because "knowing" each other now has a deeper meaning- and a bigger payoff
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