What My Parents Taught Me About Relationships

This blog post is in collaboration with 13 other great bloggers who have been posting related content on each of their blogs, over the past couple of weeks. You can find out more about who has been taking part at the end of this post.

What My Parents Taught Me About Relationships

For many of us, our parents (or guardians) are our first teachers. We grow up watching them, learning from them, and seeing how they handle everyday situations. Whether that’s how they treat their partner, how they handle arguments, or how they split the household chores, we certainly learn a lot from their relationships. Both with each other but also how they interact with friends and other family members. I think it’s safe to say my parents have taught me a lot about relationships over the years. And not just romantic ones, platonic ones too.

My parents taught me – No relationship is perfect

How many times have you looked on social media seeing all these happy couples with their seemingly perfect lives? It’s true that most of us only show our best selves to the world, but in fact, no relationship is perfect from day one. It takes time and effort to make a relationship work. Even friendships. I have seen my parents fighting or arguing over things, but at the end of the day, they have always resolved them and learned from their mistakes.

To remember – Communication is crucial

A lot of the time arguments happen due to a lack of communication. So it’s important that you communicate with each other on a regular basis. It gives you the chance to share your issues and hopefully solve them before it becomes an argument. You should also make them aware of any plans you have, for example, with friends. I’ve seen my parents make plans with friends themselves and forget to tell the other! Not only can it cause ill feelings if they weren’t invited, but it can also cause tension if they’d already made other arrangements.

… and so is listening.

Yes, talking is important but so is listening to your partner, or friend, or family member. Give them time to tell you what’s on their mind. Don’t interrupt or talk over them, especially if they’re softly spoken.

My parents also taught me to – Compromise

My parents are very different people – my mum is more outgoing while my dad is more of a homebody. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with either of those personalities but, at times, they clash. So a compromise is key. Whether that’s what to cook for tea, or agreeing on how to spend the weekend. Which leads me on to…

Spend time together

My parents spend most evenings together whether that’s watching a movie, each doing their favoruite hobby, or eating a home-cooked meal together. It’s so important to spend time with your loved ones. Not only does it help you get to know them even better but it can also boost your mood after a bad day.

Have your own hobbies

While spending time together is important, you can also end up spending too much time together. My parents both taught me that having time to focus on their own hobbies gives them some much-needed space. It stops them feeling annoyed with each other, feeling like they don’t have any “me time”, and gives them a chance to do something they love, that the other might not. Like my dad with his military modeling.

Be Thoughtful

It’s all about the small things. If you know your partner has had a bad day, why not treat them to their favoruite dessert or buy a bunch of flowers? Yes, it may sound very cliche but I think it’s worth it for the smile on their face. My mum will often come back with a Cadbury Double Decker for my dad on a Thursday evening. Ironically after she’s been to her WW workshop!

Embrace Forgiveness

We’re only human. We all make mistakes. But what’s important is how we show forgiveness when things do go wrong. My parents have had their fair share of disagreements over the past 20-odd years, but one thing they’ve taught me is how to recover and move forward. The trick isn’t learning how to avoid such things, but learning how to cope with them when they happen.

Make each other laugh

When you’re smiling,
The whole world smiles with you,
When you’re laughing,
The sun comes shining through. – When You’re Smiling written by Larry Shay, Mark Fisher and Joe Goodwin.

Laughter is said, to be ‘the best medicine‘. People will often smile when they see someone smiling, or laugh when they’re laughing. It’s contagious. So it makes sense that laughter makes any relationship greater. My parents will often tease each other or crack stupid jokes; they laugh with each other (sometimes at each other), and it’s an easy way to see their happiness together. Being able to have a laugh and a joke with your partner and brighten up their day is probably one of the best things my parents have taught me about relationships. My boyfriend Aaron and I are very much the same – we also tease and joke with each other.

What have your parents (or guardians) taught you about relationships?

February 2020 Valentine’s Blog Collab Schedule

Day 14: @luvandlifestyle will be posting a personal account of how my fiance’ first told me he loves me. You can check out her blog here: https://www.luvandlifestyle.com, Twitter here: https://twitter.com/luvandlifestyle and Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/kirstyblogs/