If you were honest with yourself and no one ever learned how you really felt, just how happy are you with your marriage?

Is your relationship healthy and fulfilling?

Does it bring you joy?

Marriage feels like a grind to so many couples. And as the years wear on, they become less and less happy until finally one of them finally says, “I’m out.”  

Here are five marriage tips to help keep that from ever happening: 

1.  Be kind and patient.

Who wants to hang around a person who is always frustrated and sharp? 

No one!! 

So decide to be the kind of person to your spouse that YOU would enjoy spending time with. Besides, being kind and patient is something your spouse will find endearing. 

2.  Be understanding and supportive. 

Reinforce your relationship when your spouse is facing challenges and disappointments by listening to their fears and concerns, encouraging them, and, if needed/wanted, offering help. 

3.  Create fun moments! 

Your spouse is your best friend (or used to be, right?). Then do fun things with them! 

If you don’t know what to do, ask yourself, “What are some things I’d enjoy doing with my best friend?” and then go do them! Start small if you must. But just start.

4.  Be lighthearted.

In the real world there are clothes to wash, meals to cook, things to fix, and tons of other things grown ups have to do - stuff that we DON’T always want to do, right? 

But does this mean we have to BE sour and dreadful when doing dreaded things?

To the degree possible, be playful and lighthearted even in those moments because your sweet, pleasant attitude will be like a beautiful score to an inspiring movie. 

Smile, laugh, be playful. 

5.  As a parent, don’t put your marriage on hold.

A parent’s love for their child is stronger than death. It’s so strong that we’ve all read stories about mothers who have lifted cars off their kids! 

When you love someone that much it’s easy to sacrifice everything to ensure their well-being and happiness. 

But please understand what I’m about to say next: Although there isn’t anything you wouldn’t do for your child or children, there’s one thing in particular you shouldn’t do and that is put your marriage on hold.

Some couples stop being a couple once the kids come along; their relationship comes to a halt. I think most of us would agree that this is completely understandable in the first few weeks and months of a baby's life.

BUT if you want a happy marriage - one that fills your soul with joy - you owe it to yourself to keep investing your heart in your spouse, too. 

Although it won’t be easy, give each other the gift of time so you don’t lose each other somewhere in the process of raising a beautiful child. 

These five simple tips are ways to stay connected to your spouse. If you’re not as happy or satisfied with your marriage as you’d like, it's probably a sign that static is interfering with your connection. 

​You need a stronger signal - a better connection.

So which one of these five tips could you start doing today to feel more connected with your spouse? Maybe it’s not one of these five. It could be something you know in your heart you either need to START doing or STOP doing.  

Whatever the case might be, you deserve to be in a happy, fulfilling relationship. And you can be by investing in your marriage today. 

Until next time, this is Mike & Gayle Tucker and we want YOU

to be mad about marriage!