Merry Christmas Eve! This is just in time for the holidays!
Families can influence people’s lives long after they’ve left home. This ability rears its head in people’s relationships with outsiders such as a boyfriend/girlfriend or a husband/wife.
There are a couple of different ways that most families ruin relationships. Let us look at the four most common ways relationships are destroyed by families.
1. Don’t defend your family’s behavior – Stand up to your partner if your family hasn’t done anything disruptive. However, if your family does play with fire and push your partner over the edge, you owe it to your partner to not defend their behavior. Even if it wasn’t intentional, it is better to acknowledge that it happened and have them apologize for their behavior or take steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Not doing so can ruin a romantic relationship.
2. Tell them to take a step back – Some families are very close-knit and find it hard to set boundaries once you are an adult. You must take it upon yourself to explain to them that as an adult, it is not their duty to give you their opinions, meddle or even ask about your affairs. Mistakes and decisions should be left to you and your partner.
3. Ask your partner for advice – Discuss topics such as where to send your child to school with your partner. Unless your family has professional advice, it is almost always a better choice to ask your partner for advice instead of your family. How would you feel if your wife or husband talked to their father or mother about something instead of talking to you about it first?
4. Don’t cancel date nights – Once you enter a serious romantic relationship, it is important that your partner feel like he/she is the number one priority in your life. Unless it’s a special event, never cancel a plan you made with your partner for a family obligation.