That is the title to an amazing book that Rob and I are going through right now. With the divorce rates so high here in the US and throughout the world, it really shows just how difficult marriage can be, and more tragically, just how easy it is to fail at it.
A lot of couples, and rightly so, spend a ton of time planning for the marriage day. The problem doesn’t like in the amount of time that is spent planning for a wedding, but more in the lack of time planning for a marriage. If we, as future brides and grooms, spend so much time planning for day one of our marriages, then how much more time should we spend planning for day two, day three hundred and day four thousand?
This book, Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts by husband and wife authors (with the same first name!) Dr. Les Parrott III & Dr. Leslie Parrott, is such a valuable tool for preparing for marriage. It anticipates small problems that can turn into bitter nagging or resentment such as who does what chores around the house or unspoken ‘rules’. It also talks about more deep issues such as emotional baggage that both sides bring into the relationship as well as the all important skill of resolving conflict in a loving way that builds up the marriage instead of breaking it down.
Rob and I aren’t done with the book yet, but we already can’t recommend it enough to everyone that we know, even if they’re already married. It’s never too early or too late to have a great marriage!!
