[quote=propertysearchaddiction]Very interesting discussion.
I think this sentence from the article sums it up.
DeSantis says.
“We tied our self-worth and social stature on what we earned.”
I quit working full time a few years ago to stay at home with our young children. I tied my self worth to my achievements and it was hard to make the change. America values money over happiness. Being aware of our culture has made it easier for us to make decisions that bring us happiness first and money second. Surprisingly, my husband now works 40 hours instead of 80 and has maintained our income.
Here’s my take…
1) Take care of your own health
2)Put your marriage first. Go out on a weekly date. Make time for a great sex life. Take a yearly vacation without kids! Set aside time each week to talk about family/finances/relationship. (I know every guys dream)
2) Put your kids second. Spend one on one time. Do family activities. Find their talents and put them in activities to succeed.
3) Job and making money comes in third
4) Live WAY below your means!!!
5) If your going to outsource something go for the house cleaner.[/quote]
Excellent post!
My DH and I were just talking about how so many spouses seem to hate or dislike each other. They marry for the wrong reasons (money/beauty), and then wonder what went wrong when that’s gone.
IMHO, the best bet is to find someone who will be your **best friend** and put everything you have into being a team. There is no reason to have an adversarial relationship when it comes to marriage. You really need to **like** the person, so that when your marriage inevitably hits a rough patch — as all marriages cycle through the ups and downs — you have something substantial to carry you through the rough times.
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I also agree with TG WRT marriage after you’ve already had the kids, etc. It causes a LOT of problems, and there really is no reason to marry after you’re done having a family, unless you want to share assets for some reason (some do). One thing my husband and I both agreed on is that it was a good thing none of our (responsible) parents remarried. This enabled them to be good parents who could focus on their kids instead of worrying about finding a new spouse — though our moms did have long-time companions who had their own houses and lives, which our mothers insisted on.
