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30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage

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Pew Research Center has recently analyzed government data and found out that millennials are taking a different path in forming, or rather not forming, families. Millennials are less likely to live with a family of their own than previous generations were at the same stage of life.
We can safely say that marriage is not the trendiest thing among 23-38-year-olds right now, and given that, it’s only fair how little we know about what it is like to form a family unit. So when someone asked married folks “What's something you wish unmarried people knew?” on r/AskReddit, it immediately turned into an illuminating thread.
The honest answers can seriously change the way you think of marriage, finally showing how incredibly hard, yet rewarding navigating married life can really be. Have some thoughts to share? Hit us in the comments below!

#1

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Be honest always! Once you break trust, you never really get it back. Even if that honesty might cause some momentary discomfort, in the long run, you’re better off because your spouse will trust you.
253points

#2

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Liking your partner is just as important if not more than loving them.
232points

#3

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Having kids is NOT REQUIRED.
My wife and I are having loads of fun just being together. Don't need kids to be happy.
209points

To find out what experts have to say about the biggest misconceptions when it comes to marriage and how the pandemic has affected them, Bored Panda reached out to Natalie Maximets, a certified life transformation coach at “Online Divorce.” “Based on my experience working with couples, I will name the 3 biggest misconceptions about marriage,” Natalie said and added that the first is "the children will save the marriage."

#4

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Getting married will NOT help solve any issues in your relationship.
204points

#5

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Only the couple sets the rules of what their marriage is.
Not your mother, not your friends, not tv...just you.
That actually applies to all relationships.
188points

#6

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Talk to your partner before you make decisions. I can’t even tell you how much s**t I get from my single friends when I tell them I’ll 'check with my husband' before agreeing to do something, but usually it’s just to make sure we don’t have something else going on that I forgot about. It’s not asking permission, it’s being considerate of your partner. It’s especially true if you have kids. No, I don’t ask my husband to 'babysit,' but it would be pretty s**tty for me to just say, 'Oh, hey, I’m going out tonight. Have fun with a couple of toddlers by yourself and with no notice!' And he treats me with the same respect.
184points

“There is still a belief that a couple needs children to be happy. Without them, the family is incomplete. But no, that's not true. Many spouses struggle with relationships and have children in the hope that they will save their marriage,” Natalie explained and stated that “no one will save your marriage except yourself.”

“Moreover, children are a huge responsibility that requires substantial financial, physical, and moral resources,” she continued. “If a marriage has problems, then having children, unfortunately, will only exacerbate them.”

#7

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
My wife is my favorite person in the whole world, even after 17 years of marriage and 5 kids. I like her more than I like you, so don't expect me to take your side.
168points

#8

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Have things you enjoy doing with your spouse that don't involve sex. The most stable marriages are ones where you and your spouse could be friends if you weren't married. Goes for dating, too, IMO.
166points

#9

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
I would urge people to consider a low-key wedding. My wife and I eloped, and as far as I can tell, all we missed out on was months of stressful planning, spending an obscene amount of money, and the existential nightmare of having to stand up in front of everyone you know and tell your partner how you feel about them. It was intimate, precious, and the best day of my life, and we didn’t even have to bankrupt our parents for it.
163points

According to the life transformation coach, having children to save a relationship is very selfish. “Since the solution to your problems lies with you two, no one can influence them, except for the husband and wife. According to numerous studies, children born in problem marriages have significant psychological trauma that they carry with them throughout their lives.”

Natalie insisted that children are a gift, not salvation. “They can reveal their talents and gain strength only in a loving family, where both parents respect and care for each other.”

#10

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Once the butterflies go away, it's your job to create butterfly moments.
145points

#11

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
It's totally okay to sleep in separate beds or even separate rooms if that's what works for you. I am not going to be a good partner if I only get four hours of sleep because I was listening to him snore all night, or if jobs require different sleeping schedules and you take a while to get to sleep.
129points

#12

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Getting married doesn't mean you're never going to feel lonely again.
129points

The second misconception, according to Natalie, is "until death do us part." She explained: “Not so long ago, life expectancy was 30-40 years, and one could die from a mild cold. There were many chances of dying, so the marriage vow was very acute.”

“But the world has changed significantly. The development of medicine and technology has significantly increased the duration and quality of life. Now it's okay to get married more than once.”

#13

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Please pay attention to the red flags. The ones you ignore at the beginning are the ones that will tear you up at the end. Don’t marry because you love feeling loved, make sure you love them too
122points

#14

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
I have been married over 30 years. I would estimate only 25 of those years has been happily married. There will be s**tty times possibly years. Wait it out unless it's abuse. People are often unhappy at work or something like that and leave their partner instead of dealing with the true problem. Your spouse should be the one you lean on to get through the outside noise not the first one you blame.
108points

#15

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Communication may be key but comprehension is the entire treasure chest.
100points

“Sadly, many married couples continue to hold on to an outdated vow, making each other's life hell,” she said and added that “I do not see anything wrong with people being in one marriage all their lives. It's great when you develop together, share your interests, have common goals, and have a generally harmonious relationship.”

“But when the spouses cannot stand each other, and their home is filled with scandals, abuse, and humiliation, why endure all this?” Natalie said that even if people fell madly in love with each other and got married some time ago, as time passes, their interests, preferences, and outlook on life change. “They can become indifferent to each other,” she explained.

#16

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Live together for at least a year before getting married.
93points

#17

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Talk about whether you want kids or not before things get serious.
Finances are something you manage together. It isn’t something you cede to one spouse for whatever reason. I say this as someone who had to teach my dad how to use an ATM and the online banking site after my mom died.
It’s your relationship. It’s something that belongs to you two. No one else.
Adult up. Both partners need to take in the mental load of managing the house.
90points

#18

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Being married 20 years, I'm guilty of it sometimes too, but being in a long-term relationship like that just makes you an expert on your own relationship. Not on relationships in general. We can sometimes forget that just because it works well in our own life doesn't necessarily mean it will work for others. When you're a young couple, dozens of older couples are going to tell you what works for them. The best thing to do is understand that it's coming from a place of caring, and some of it will be good advice, but you've got to just find what works for you.
84points

Natalie reminds everyone that it’s important not to make your marriage a routine. “It is much better to thank each other for everything beautiful between you, part peacefully, and take your separate roads to find something that really ignites you,” she explained.

#19

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Fights/quarrels will happen, but nowhere near as frequently as media makes it out to be. My wife and I are so tired of shows and movies saying "we're married so of course we're going to fight. We have lots of fights ahead." Fighting is not a norm of being married. If you're fighting a lot, that's not good and isn't a sign to get married just because fighting is "inevitable", because it's not.
81points

#20

30 Things Married Folks Wish All Unmarried People Knew About Marriage
Decide whether a fight is worth having. If it doesn't matter tomorrow, does it really matter today?
79points
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