Treat Your Marriage Like a Child

Summary

The article suggests that nurturing a marriage requires the same level of care and attention as raising a child, emphasizing continuous involvement, commitment, and growth.

Abstract

The author, Jacquelyn Lynn, shares a personal insight into maintaining a healthy marriage by comparing it to the careful upbringing of a child. Lynn advocates for consistent awareness of the relationship's state, similar to supervising a child, and stresses the importance of not abandoning the marriage during difficult times. She suggests that, like children, marriages need to be taught skills to improve and should be enriched with quality time and positive interactions. The article also touches on the significance of a strong foundation of faith and cautions against neglecting the relationship during challenging situations. Lynn encourages couples to invest in their marriage daily, fostering mutual affection, respect, and shared experiences, to ensure its health and longevity.

Opinions

Marriages, much like children, require constant attention and care to thrive.
It is crucial to be aware of the marriage's status and to address any challenges promptly.
Abandoning a marriage in tough times is akin to neglecting a child; commitment is key.
Continuous learning and application of marriage skills can lead to daily improvements, even in long-term relationships.
Quality time spent nurturing the marriage is as essential as it is for a child's development.
A marriage should be fed with positive actions and words, avoiding the 'junk food' of negative interactions.
Conflicts and crises within a marriage should be handled with the same diligence and care as protecting a child from harm.
A shared faith and spiritual life can serve as a cornerstone for a resilient and enduring marriage.

Enrich your marriage by caring for it like you would care for a child

IImage created by Jacquelyn Lynn using MockupShots

I don’t claim to be a marriage or relationship expert. In fact, I’ve probably done more things wrong than right in that department over the years, but I’ve figured out what works for my husband and me, and it’s this: We treat our marriage like it’s a child.

To be clear: We don’t treat each other like children. We protect and nurture our relationship as we would an energetic toddler.

Here’s how you can treat your marriage like a child:

Always know where it is and what it’s doing. No, I don’t mean you should spy on and track your spouse’s every move, but always know the status of your relationship. Even the strongest of marriages will occasionally face a test. If you aren’t paying attention, those tests will be harder to deal with than they need to be.

Photo by Jerry D. Clement; text added by Jacquelyn Lynn

Just as you wouldn’t let a little one run around unsupervised, keep an eye on your marriage all the time.

Don’t abandon it. You wouldn’t abandon your child, so don’t abandon your marriage. You’ll go through tough times but it’s worth hanging in there.

Teach it skills to be the best it can be. Children need to be taught life skills; spouses need to learn marriage skills. And it’s a lifelong process. It really is possible for your marriage to get better every day, even after decades, if you commit to it.

Spend time with it. Just as it’s important to spend quality time with children, it’s important to spend quality time working on and enjoying your marriage — not just superficially doing things together (although that’s good), but actively enriching your relationship.

Provide quality nourishment. Limit the amount of junk food you feed your marriage. Children are healthier on a diet of fruits, vegetables, grains and meats; marriages are healthier when nourished with mutual affection, respect and positive words and actions.

Supervise it closely when it must handle things that could hurt. You wouldn’t give a toddler a pair of scissors and walk away. When you are dealing with a conflict, a crisis or something else that could harm your marriage — and these things can happen in the best of relationships — give it close care and attention.

Photo by Jerry D. Clement

Make sure it has a strong foundation of faith. Faith is one of the greatest gifts we give our children, and it’s one of the essential pillars of a durable marriage. Study, serve and grow in faith together as a couple with the same diligence you apply to teaching little ones about God and Jesus.

Marriage | Relationships

Treat Your Marriage Like a Child

Enrich your marriage by caring for it like you would care for a child

Here’s how you can treat your marriage like a child:

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