Do you and your significant other have different likes and dislikes? Yeah, we do too. We have had some since the beginning, but are starting to know a lot more, lately! We are so glad that we have those differences, because they provide a little variety in our relationship (haha). And if we were the exact same person, we might get bored after awhile.

I think some of those differences have started to get to us a little more, recently. For example, the TV show, “The Walking Dead,” started up again. I love watching it, but Trevor hates it. (Noooo!!! haha) It’s understandable, though. With how graphic it can be, he doesn’t even like to be in the room when it’s on! Because of this, I actually struggled the last few weeks, deciding whether or not I wanted to continue watching when the new season started. On the other hand, I would rather not give up this favorite pastime of mine! We solved it through a compromise. I watch it when I feel like it, but if it interrupts my priority to him in some way, then I miss the episode that night, and it’s fine! It’s worked out so far.

What do YOU do in situations like this? You don’t want something like a TV show to come between your marriage, but you still want to be you, and enjoy the things you like.

For those of you currently in a similar dilemma as ours, compromising seems to be the key to get a win-win outcome. If you need help in approaching the situation, here are some of our tips in doing so, based off of my zombie-crazed example.

• Talk about it; voice opinions from both sides about the subject.
• Understand the other point of view.
• Think about the reasons for why you like the subject so much. Does it de-stress you, or make you happy? Is it important to you?
• Decide on when the best times are for you to enjoy it, and how that factors into your priority to your spouse and/or family.
• I would suggest setting terms and conditions with your spouse, that are agreed upon, so that you can enjoy your interests, and your spouse won’t be offended, or disrespected either.

I’m sure we all have situations similar to this, with any of our differing hobbies, interests, or favorite pastimes. A wife may hate hunting, but the husband still goes on hunting trips from time to time. A husband may hate the sight of glitter, but his wife still crafts up projects with glitter! (That is Trevor! haha) I hope that as our opinions evolve throughout the years, we will always try to compromise so we are both happy campers.

• all
• communication
• conflict
• effort
• journal