There are not many places where you can be in complete control of almost everything that goes on. Home is one of those places, and that is one of the many reasons it is such a nice place to be. But what happens when your home is the last place you want be because your relationship with your spouse has made it feel more like a zoo? The reality is that sharing a home with another person can be a highly fulfilling experience, or a high anxiety nightmare. Just because you are able to be in love with someone does not mean you will be able to live harmoniously with that person. There are so many things that can go wrong to take away your happy home. Luckily a lot of them are avoidable with a little common sense.
Some of the top things to consider when making that leap from living solo to sharing your most private of spaces are:
Both of you need to agree on what a clean house is. Everybody has their own idea of what cleaning is and how often it should be done. It may seem like a very trivial thing but it can become the elephant in the room for the two people who don’t agree. If one person is a real slob it can even start smelling like there is an elephant in the room.
Respect for each other’s needs have to be considered a priority by both people. Here is one you just can’t fake. It is not enough to agree to try and be respectful of the other person’s work sleep schedule or need for quite time, first thing in the morning while they meditate. It has to be just as important to both people right from the start or there can be a disturbance of the peace in the couple’s future.
Party animals do best in their own habitat. Being a party animal is a way of life, it may be a way of life that is exchanged for a different way somewhere down the road, but to a non party animal, that way of life is nice to visit, but not to live with. It may be a better idea to just visit this animal and not bring one home with you.
One person’s pet is another person’s pest. There is nothing like a mother’s love, or the person who believes that their pet is their kid. For the relationship that includes a pet lover, there needs to be a complete and total meeting of the minds or you may find yourself in the doghouse for suggesting that the dog sleep in it, and not on your bed.
There is no way to be a hundred percent sure of what the future holds for any relationship. But taking some time to make sure that you are as compatible as possible before you move in together will at least give you a much better chance of being able to say there is no place like home, and meaning it in a good way.