Once you are married there are things you should at all costs stop doing that can affect or ruin your marriage. Couples need to hammer into their heads that it is no longer a one ‘man’ or ‘woman’ affair but two. You should always put the other person into consideration. Don’t wait for your partner to bring it up when you already know the consequences.
For the sake of your marriage, here are 10 things you should quit:
1. Texting members of the opposite sex.
As a sign of respect avoid this by all means. Unless it is a business matter which should be communicated within stipulated working hours, you have no business being friendly and entertaining members of the opposite sex. Draw boundaries and let them respect that. Your partner’s feelings come first.
2. Sleeping out.
Unless you are 21 living in campus with no cares in the world you have no business sleeping out if you are a married man or woman. Period! There is a time for everything. During your young foolish days, you could stay up late and even come home three days later. Now that you are married with responsibilities and a household to run, set a good example. If you must sleep out it should be on rare occasions such as a vacation, work travel, night shift, a medical emergency and never because you got too drunk to find your way home.
3. Dinner dates with the opposite sex.
If that man or woman wants to treat you to dinner he should make a triple reservation for you, your partner and them. Whatever it is they want to say, they should do it before your partner and if they cannot this is a serious red flag and you should not entertain lest you get tempted.
4. Keeping nudes on your phone.
How can you possibly justify having nudes on your phone? You have no reason whatsoever unless you intend on pursuing that subject. If that is not the case get rid of them before it raises suspicion.
5. It’s all about me, me, me.
Seriously! When you are married it should be about us and not me. Everything you do and every decision you make should be reached upon by both of you and not one person.
6. Dressing inappropriately.
Now that you are married you have no reason to continue displaying your junk to the whole world. Who are you trying to impress and seduce? You already have a spouse so respect them and protect their dignity by covering up and dressing modestly.
7. Using the toilet with the door open.
Silly as it may sound this happens to be a big issue that goes unspoken in many marriages. We understand you are comfortable with each other but come on! No one wants to smell what your body has expelled. Close the door.
8. Solving problems instead of listening.
When you are married it is important to listen to your partner’s problems and needs instead of trying to solve them first. Learn to listen and understand no matter how petty the issue sounds to you. This especially goes to men who are natural problem solvers. All she needs sometimes is an ear and a shoulder to lean on. Not a barrage of solutions.
9. Pointing each other’s mistakes.
No one is perfect and having unrealistic expectations and being over-dependent on your partner will only lead to disappointment. Marriage entails moral support, togetherness, and understanding. Once you are married try as much as possible not to make the other person feel like a failure.
10. Avoid sarcasm.
Learn to pick your battles. When your partner does something, it may not be the right time to be sarcastic. You might not see any harm in that but this can make your spouse feel diminished and hurt. It may be a laughing matter to you but to them, it is not funny.