Love and Marriage - When it Begins to Fizzle Out
Girls and boys have such different expectations of love and marriage from a young age that there is bound to be trouble when the two worlds meet. He cannot remember the date when you first met or kissed and she is all about celebrating the first everything and the month anniversaries until it is firmly engrained in his mind.
His idea of a great weekend afternoon is watching the game with his guy friends whereas she would rather shop or go for a hike in the woods. There is no harm in having different likes and dislikes; it is actually healthy as you wouldn't want to be clones of one another! However, learning to enjoy (or at least to try to enjoy) something that your significant other enjoys is what love and marriage is all about.
Going to a boring, classy restaurant to please her when you would rather be at Hooters is just one step in learning how to compromise. Turning the fan off if he feels too cold or watching "Vantage Point" with him when you would rather watch "Definitely, Maybe" are simple examples of how you can mean that you love your marriage partner rather than just say it.
Make Time for the Two of You
If you feel that five or ten years into the marriage, love is fizzling out, then try to put in time and effort to resuscitate it before it goes into a coma and is pronounced dead after a while. Schedule time in your planners for just the two of you even if it means dropping the children off at a friend's place or watching a move snuggled up in bed after hey have gone to sleep.
If you feel your love and marriage life needs a bigger boost of energy, take the time for a short vacation to a romantic place where you can just unwind without a crammed itinerary to follow. Talk about old things visit places where you first met and put in some effort to rekindle your love and marriage.
Don't assume that all marriages lack fizzle after the first year or so. There must be someone in your family or circle of friends that is still in love with another even after x number of years. Ask them how they do it, or if that is embarrassing, learn from them while staying on the sidelines. Has he quit smoking for her and has she started to enjoy football for him? Doe she help her with household chores and does she give him a foot rub after a long days; work? You need not invest in expensive vacations or gifts to resuscitate your love and marriage - even doing the dishes unexpectedly can help!
