That fairy-tale ending we dream of, with butterflies and love filling the air like a James Blunt music video? Married life isn’t quite like that. It takes teamwork, commitment, and lots of compromise. But it’s worth it. A thread on Ask Men asked for unusual marriage advice that turned out to be helpful, sparking an insightful discussion about the realities of marriage.
Choose kindness always
‘Dad said “Be kind even if you’re not feeling it. Maybe *especially* if you’re not feeling it.” – Reddit
The foundation is friendship
“Most of the time you spend together is going to be non-sexual, so the most important thing is to be best friends. Otherwise, it won’t last.” – Reddit
“It’s totally OK 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.” – Reddit
“Have separate duvets or blankets on the same bed. I can wrap myself up nice and snug, and she can move around all night without bothering me.” – Reddit
‘My grandfather told me ” Never go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink” . What I learned is that he would always help my grandma and that is when they did their most talking.’ – Reddit
“On our wedding day, my father-in-law said, ‘Always remember it’s the two of you against the problem, not you two against one another.’ It’s been great advice, especially when we disagree. Focusing on this piece of advice has calmed a lot of arguments over the years.” – Reddit
“Looks fade, marry someone who you enjoy talking to. -grandma
I also feel strongly about this one.
Find someone who is ok with you both having separate hobbies. My wife does her thing and I have my hobby. We share some hobbies, but we are ok with spending time apart too. We don’t have to always do them together. I couldn’t imagine marrying a woman who needed to do every single thing I did just to be around me. She needs to have her own life and I love not forcing her into the nerdy stuff I enjoy.” – Reddit
‘Don’t worry about what other people think is ‘normal.’ I’ve been married for almost 20 years, and this piece of insight has made all the difference. You don’t need to conform to society’s standards. Do what works for you and your partner in a marriage.’ – Reddit
‘When our kid was about to be born, someone told me to change the first diaper. “If you can handle the first one, the others will be easy.” So I did. I didn’t know what I was doing, so I asked the nurse at the hospital to teach me, and I changed the first several few diapers while my wife recovered from a difficult labor.
The advice was correct, no other diaper was as disgusting as the first one. It got very easy and I never minded doing it, and my wife was really really grateful. And I loved that I could take on some of the parenting chores, since there was so much that she was the only one… equipped to provide.’ – Reddit
“The advice I’ve given people is this: if you can go grocery shopping with your person and have the best time ever, you have yourself a keeper. It’s all about making the best of the mundane things, because after years of being together, life becomes predictable. You’ll need to keep the spice going, regardless of what you’re doing.” – Reddit
“My father always said that the best thing he and my mother did for their marriage was get a king-sized bed. I always thought it was ridiculous advice until recently, when my wife and I needed a new bed. We spent the extra money on a king, and I’ll be damned if that wasn’t one of the best decisions we have made. The extra room is amazing: We can snuggle or have some space, and when our kids try and get in bed, there’s enough room that no one is getting a foot to the face.” – Reddit
‘The grass is greener when you water it.’ This one always stuck with me. Your relationship is what you make of it, and it will be happier if you put love and effort into it.’ – Reddit
‘Moma said “don’t come whinning to me about your wife, go talk to her”….and don’t spend your time complaining to ANY one about your SO. If you need advice, ask, but no talking down about your SO, chances are they have a long list of complaints too.’ – Reddit
“Retain your individuality and have separate hobbies even after you’re married. Have time apart. Have separate activities. This will allow you to have experiences you can talk about and share with each other. It will give you time apart so you don’t feel smothered.” – Reddit
‘My step mom just passed away, and dad said something that has profoundly changed my attitude:
“The little things that annoyed me are the things I now miss”
So, like, yea… for some reason she squeezes a massive glob of toothpaste which mostly falls into the sink basin and she doesn’t wash away the toothpaste spit… f*****g annoys me.
*If/when she’s gone, that little constant annoyance that reminds me she’s there will be gone too.*
Don’t nag on the little things, rather, embrace them. (still, let her know … she has made progress on other things I’ve pointed out, as I try to adapt to her wishes).’ – Reddit
‘Love isn’t about having “nice feelings for each other.” It’s about acting for the betterment of someone else, even if you don’t feel like it. Emotions will change. Your willingness to treat your spouse a certain way doesn’t have to.’ – Reddit
“Mine is almost the exact opposite. My husband snores really loud. I started sleeping separately and we have a much better relationship now. Probably because I’m not constantly sleep deprived. We both fought it so hard for so long because there is this idea that only unhappy couples sleep apart from each other. The truth is, you’ve got to do what works for the both of you and not worry about preconceived notions about intimacy, etc.” – Reddit
‘Grandma said “love is like coffee. Sometimes it’s hot, sometimes it’s cold, sometimes it’s sweet, sometimes it’s bitter. No matter how you like it, it is good. But it’s only great when you get it ‘the way you like it’. Make sure you get what you want”. – Reddit
“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.” – Reddit
“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.” – Reddit
“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.” – Reddit
“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.” – Reddit
“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.” – Reddit
“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.” – Reddit
40 Unexpected Confessions Married People Wish Every Single Person Knew
Eduardo Gaskell
05.15.24
That fairy-tale ending we dream of, with butterflies and love filling the air like a James Blunt music video? Married life isn’t quite like that. It takes teamwork, commitment, and lots of compromise. But it’s worth it. A thread on Ask Men asked for unusual marriage advice that turned out to be helpful, sparking an insightful discussion about the realities of marriage.
Choose kindness always
‘Dad said “Be kind even if you’re not feeling it. Maybe *especially* if you’re not feeling it.” – Reddit