How to Win a Fight with Your Significant Other

You meet, you flirt, and you fall in love. That's the typical chain of events leading up to a serious relationship. And up to this point everything is buttermilk and rose petals. In your eyes, she or he can do no wrong. Your heart has taken over your brain and your love addled mind is confident this is how relationships were meant to be, even though no one else in the world is experiencing the same bliss in their relationship that you are.

My friend, take a picture right this instant and document everything you are feeling because this is the last time you'll ever know this euphoric experience -- at least in this relationship. As you stand upon that plateau of hormonal delusion, you'd notice if you weren't distracted, that the ground is beginning to rumble beneath your relationship. What you believe to be eternal bliss with the one you love is simply an illusion cast by the man behind the curtain to get you to reproduce. It's designed to entice you to contribute to the gene pool.

The whirlwind of emotions that consume a person's reasoning during the initial stages of a relationship will eventually die down. They'll be replaced by what is known as reality, right about the time you commit yourself to that significant other. Whether you formally say "I do," get engaged to be married or even commit to sharing a residence with your loved one, things are about to change. The only thing you can do about it is be prepared to explore the other side of the relationship.

Scientists have yet to discover what causes this metamorphosis to occur, but many in the psychological community that examine relationships suspect it has something to do with sharing a bathroom, financial responsibilities and other household duties. There are others, still, who insist that it all boils down to the male's Neanderthal need to be in control of the relationship, clashing with the 21st Century female's desire to exert her independence.

Whatever the reasons, the result will be disagreements, arguments, and, depending on the demeanor of the parties in the relationship, name calling and possibly door slamming. On occasion the confrontation may escalate to the point of words being exchanged that are capable of inflicting permanent emotional damage to one or both parties of the relationship. It's crucial to end the fight prior to reaching this stage. Disagreement and discussion are necessary in any relationship if it is to be successful, but if either of them escalates to the point where emotional, or God forbid, physical injury to one or more of the parties is possible, it's being done incorrectly.

Before the situation has a chance to escalate to this point, it's absolutely necessary that one party of the relationship emerge victorious. Both of you believe you're right in your assessment of the situation, but only one of you can emerge victorious. That person only has to do one thing, and no, it's not to knock the other out cold. What I'm referring to is, at first, difficult to do, but once it's been mastered it can be used effectively to extinguish the fire of any disagreement. Most importantly, when this strategy is employed correctly, there's no doubt in your adversaries mind that you are the winner.

The victory will go to the person that first says, "You're absolutely right, honey, and I'm sorry," and then leaves the room. It's been my experience that there is no logical retort to this tactic that will continue the fight. Furthermore, your opponent will quickly realize what you've done. When they do, they'll often be so angry with themselves they may throw something, which is why it's important to quickly exit the immediate area after dropping this bomb. A nice touch after hearing the lamp hit the wall, is to call out in the sweetest, concerned tone you can muster, "Honey, is everything alright?"