The beauty of today’s relationships is that they come in all shapes and sizes, have numerous objectives and aren’t afraid of venturing off the well trodden paths of convention. There’s a lot to be said and done before a relationship can achieve self actualization, so covering a couple of fundamental milestones is always useful.
More often than not, couples find themselves too swept away by the romance to be able to fit reality into the equation. If you’ve kissed a couple of frogs and waited too long for them to turn into princes, you know what we mean. So what happens once the initial ‘can’t spend a minute apart’ phase ends? Pandora’s box opens up and tons of big question marks come flying out.
We say, talk these issues out before you’re in too deep because puppy love just won’t cut it anymore.
1. MONEY
Yes, everyone tends to shy away from talking cash, but who can really run away from this discussion forever? This is not a conversation people get into before reaching the top of the relationship ladder and we can tell you point blank that they regret it.
2. HOMEWORK
We’re talking about division of responsibilities between you two, as far as the home is concerned. If you’re both going to work long hours, we recommend figuring out the person in charge of hot dinner on the table. Even if one of you is a homemaker, why should the other be free from any other chores?
3. LOCATION
Location hassles can creep up when you least expect them. Whether you are going to consider a long distance relationship or find a middle ground, it should be a collective decision. Compromise and being selfish aren’t really polar opposites and it’s up to you to find the median. Just promise yourself that you’ll give each and every option a chance, so when you do come to a decision, you never resent it.
4. PERSONAL GOALS
The whole “work till 40 and retire or travel the world ‘cause life’s too short’ philosophy is great when you’re single but when there’s another life attached to yours, give it a little thought. As we mentioned in For the Love of Forever, make sure you retain your individual awesomeness in the relationship as you get more involved. At the same time, don’t be so fussy that it never goes anywhere.
5. MARRIAGE & KIDS
We saved the biggest for the end. If you’ve ever asked yourself the big question- What Next?, it would be good to know each other’s views about the institution of marriage and kids. After all, there’s a pool of choices to pick from now, so it would be a little shortsighted to take the band baaja baraat and bachchas for granted. Don’t wait till she turns your proposal down because she just doesn’t want to get married at a certain age or till he suddenly wakes up and says he hates kids.
If you think paying attention to these pointers could end in an argument, there’s all the more reason to go for it! We are pro identifying problem areas in the beginning and fixing them as we move forward instead of being unexpectedly sent back to square one after working hard on something. Good luck.
trulymadly
