How to Keep Your Marriage Strong and Healthy

Of course everyone gets married because they expect it to last a lifetime, but so many people don't realize the effort and hard work it takes to really make it last! I'm going to share with you 4 tips that have helped my grandparents marriage last for over 50 years and mine for almost 7. Even after all these years our marriages are strong and healthy and filled with love!

Marriage Tip # 1

Don't forget who you married and Don't forget why you married! Take a minute and think about WHO you married. What was he/she like when you married, what are the reasons that you married him/her? Really think about these two questions! What was it about your spouse that made you fall in love with him/her? Were they funny, caring, loving, romantic...what were the reasons? Thinking about this will help you remember the person you fell in love with.

Marriage Tip # 2

ARGUE! Now, I'll bet you are surprised to see that one here! It is human nature to have feelings of anger or resentment. It's not something we can control, so why keep it bottled up? You need to share your anger with your spouse, especially if it is directed at him/her.

BUT when you are yelling and screaming that he didn't take out the trash, don't forget to let him know why it bothers you that he didn't do what he should have done! If you don't share your feelings and the reasons for your feelings, you are not communicating and without communication a marriage is bound to fail.

Marriage Tip # 3

Acknowledge and accept each others faults. We all have them, so why hide them? Everyone has their own pet peeves about annoying things, but the trick is to acknowledge the things that aggravate you and accept them as what they are...pet peeves. They aren't really harming anything and if you think back, it's probably something you thought was cute or funny when you first started dating.

Marriage Tip # 4

Always kiss goodnight. Even if the argument is not over or the problem is not solved, make sure to kiss goodnight and say I love you! You never know when you'll no longer have the opportunity.

Now, I'm not saying that these tips will work every time, there are certainly problems which need to be handled differently, but if you work hard at remembering why you love each other, you are bound to last! Forget about the rest, because the only thing that really matters is your love for each other!