Bridget Timothy
In most marriage and long term relationships respect is more crucial than love. When one partner looses respect for the other, the relationship crumbles.
What does mutual respect look like? But when pressed, most couples would probably affirm that, yes they have “respect” box checked when it comes to how they view their partner. But how do they show that respect? what does it actually look like in marriage? Are they doing it right?
In a relationship, mutual respect looks like speaking to one another in a respectful and considerate fashion, keeping your partner in mind when making decisions and responding to your partner needs and wants. That does not mean necessarily sacrificing yourself in order to make or keep your partner happy but it means communicating with love, even when it difficult.
Simply right? But it’s easy to think you’re being respectful when you are not. Respect can be lost when one partner chooses to define the word on his/her own terms.
Respect requires a conversation, we don’t know what feels respectful or disrespectful to our partners unless we ask. There are some obvious things of course, but deep respect lies in the subtle details and it’s different for everyone.
For example leaving the garage door open all night may drive one person insane and not bother the other. But it not about the garage door-it’s about listening to our partner and remembering what important to them and taking that into account when we make decisions.
When it comes to building respect, equity in marriage and relationships, couples need to focus on being responsible for how their actions affect another.
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