Marriage Transitions

When dealing with relationships, one of the biggest transitions is when a couple is married. After the wedding, we are combining two different lifestyles, traditions and family dynamics into a one relationship. The mentality should be: instead of me there is now a “we”. The honeymoon is over and reality sets in. Couples have to deal matters like debts, house work, and etc. Then a couple has to decide how we are going to resolve these conflicts. Not only do you need to resolve conflict but boundaries need to be set up between the family that you are married into and your marriage. As a college student, you see more couples plan a wedding day rather than their marriage. It is crucial that we plan our marriage! By careful planning transitions are smoother and there are fewer conflicts.

As part of marriage, a person is being married into your spouse’s family. It’s crucial to set up boundaries or in other words drawing the line and deciding what appropriate for family relationships, especially with in laws. Also in creating boundaries there needs to be family involvement to create unity. An example might be is involving or asking for help with a family event (engagement, family gathering and etc) that is appropriate. With any family transition there will be some adapting to change. By realizing these different transitions it helps me to prepare for the future, to communicate openly and not make assumptions about my marriage. Overall, part of a healthy relationship is preparing to make smooth transitions and it all starts with a marriage.