For all of us, there is a natural cycle to life. This cycle pauses or passes through various stages that many of us are familiar with. These phases or stages prepare us for the future – including future decisions and phases. Among the most natural parts of our lifestyle include:
- Infancy
- Childhood
- Adolescence
- Early Adulthood
- Midlife
- Old Age
All of us go through these stages or phases as we grow, develop and age. It’s important to understand that our marriages go through a similar life cycle or stages and that each stage prepares us for the next.
These stages can be recognized as:
- Courtship
- Engagement
- Marriage
- Honeymoon Phase (First 2 years of marriage
- Pregnancy/Childbearing/Parenthood
- Midlife/Sandwich Years
- Aging Together
In each of these phases of marriage, there are challenges, problems and changes to adapt to and overcome. Each stage of the relationship or marriage helps prepare you for the next one.
Adapting is about more than just the physical changes, but also the emotional and mental changes that adults must confront and cope with in order to achieve the next stage in their life. It’s important to recognize this because it can take some people longer to adapt than others.
For example, you and your spouse may be at different places or stages in your marriage and that can generate conflict between the two of you. Understanding these differences and these changes is very important to helping the two of you come to a resolution.
Do you ever feel like you and your spouse are in two different stages of the relationship?
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