Do you feel like you have an influence on your spouse? It’s likely that you do, at least in some areas, but is that influence good or bad? Does your spouse use you or your habits as an excuse to do things he or she shouldn’t? Maybe he or she follows your example and has developed more positive habits.
If you’re a smoker and your spouse has quit, does your smoking help your mate find excuses to smoke? It’s not really your “fault” since your husband or wife makes a choice, but there is still a certain level of influence. We have to be careful and try to ensure that any influence we do have is positive.
Maybe you’re very strict about what you eat. Your mate may not be, but may still make healthier choices than he or she once did because of your influence. Maybe she gets more exercise now because you are so physically fit or maybe he is a more careful driver due to your clean driving record and good example.
My husband and I rarely wore our seatbelts. I think for me it was a rebellious thing because I think it’s ridiculous for the government to dictate it. The government has specific powers listed in the Constitution, and micromanaging our lives isn’t one of them. My husband’s reasons were not so much centered around a sense of “civil disobedience” as the fact that he finds seatbelts a nuisance and uncomfortable. I started wearing my seatbelt because I felt it was a better example for my kids (and because it makes sense, despite my feelings about overreaching laws). My husband soon began to follow suit and now we wear our seatbelts regularly.
Since we do have an influence on our spouses, we have to remember what a big responsibility that is. Even though they are adults and are responsible for their own choices, it’s important that we try to make a positive impact.
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