Do you and your spouse have rules for your relationship?

As a married couple, it is important to have a set of relationship rules to guide you in your marriage. This ensures that you are both on the same page regarding the most important things in your relationship. Here are some marriage tips and suggestions for rules that you might want to adopt.

Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want your spouse to do. Do not set rules for your spouse you don’t intend to follow yourself. Whatever relationship rules you come up with for your marriage should apply equally to both of you. Double standards only serve to breed resentment.

Give each other “me” time. Just because you are married doesn’t mean that you have to spend all your time together. You should each be able to spend time on your individual hobbies or with your friends without being made to feel guilty about it.

What happens in your marriage stays in your marriage. You should not disclose anything that happens in your marriage to a third party without the consent of your partner. Doing so can hinder communication in the relationship.

Communicate openly with your spouse. To maintain a healthy relationship, spouses must communicate openly with each other. They should share their feelings, desires and disappointments freely. There is nothing more frustrating than being married to someone who doesn’t communicate openly because you never know what is going on with them.

Stay faithful. There is no excuse or justification for being unfaithful to your spouse. If you are not happy or are just bored with your marriage, you should discuss this with your spouse and come up with a solution together.

Never compare your spouse to an ex, someone else’s spouse or your parent. Doing so will just make you unhappy. Instead of comparing, figure out the quality that the other person has that you would like to see in your spouse and then talk to your spouse about it. Don’t bring up the other person during the conversation.

If you don’t compliment your spouse, someone else will. Complimenting you spouse shows them that you are paying attention and do notice their efforts and any changes that they make. This boosts their self-confidence.

In marriage, conflict usually arises when both parties are not on the same page about an important issue.  One way that a couple can ensure that they are on the same page is by coming up with relationship rules to guide their marriage.