Relationships Information

How Not to Compromise With Your Partner


Do you ever disagree with your spouse? Or your boyfriend or girlfriend? Of course not - she/he/it is perfect, right?

You can imagine my shock when my friend confided in me that he and his wife often fought over tiny things.

"You're kidding."

"Yes, we fight over the tiniest, most unimportant things," he confirmed.

"Well, why don't you just let her have her way then?"

"Because we also fight over big, important things," he admitted.

"What about compromise?"

"We do that all the time," he responded.

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is that she wins most of the compromises."

Compromises are never easy. A reasonable compromise is when both parties feel they won. A truly great compromise is when both parties know they lost.

The problem is that even the most modest of us, when thrust into the perils of compromise, have inflatable egos.

For instance, my wife and I were recently waging compromise, and I don't even recall what diplomatic gaffe I had committed. But she was determined to set me straight. "Don't be so premature," my wife scolded.

"Premature?"

"Amateur, then," she said.

"Amateur?

"No, the other word. Stop acting like a such child!" she shouted, looking for a dictionary.

God gave us dictionaries so we wouldn't have to spell. They are big books with small print, and trying to find anything in them shortens fuses and, in the heat of compromise, can only lead to dictionary projectile injuries. Fortunately, our house is messy enough to conceal even the largest dictionary.

Which is why, when compromise is imminent, I occasionally find myself dripping wet.

Water never hurt anyone, I tell myself. Then I remember Noah. And Jack. And Jill. But so far, I have avoided drowning in my own sorrow, which probably means I am losing fewer compromises than my brother.

Our house lives in an era of an uneasy truce. Fortunately, nobody is bent on world domination.

If I would just learn to put the toilet seat down or wipe the counter after myself, I could strike a diplomatic coup. However, if I did, I would have to fork out for an embassy reception, and my wife is the only caterer in the house. Plus it would force her into a most uncomfortable corner of having to put the other toilet seat down and close the lights when she leaves the room to avoid a diplomatic faux pas.

Being a loving husband, I am determined to protect my wife from any discomfort in her own house (or having to cater a diplomatic reception), so I resist the temptation to score such a diplomatic coup and I continue to leave counter tops wet.

It is sometimes for the greater good to allow a friendly exchange of sniper fire, taking cover if it looks like it might get out of hand. The world is a much more peaceful place when we just accept that we can all happily get along, and that we are in no real danger living perpetually on the brink of compromise.

About The Author

David Leonhardt is author of Climb Your Stairway to Heaven

http://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?isbn=059517826X

Read more personal growth articles: http://www.thehappyguy.com/self-actualization-articles.html

Visit his liquid vitamins store: http://www.vitamin-supplements-store.net

Or his happiness website: http://www.thehappyguy.com

Info@thehappyguy.com


MORE RESOURCES:

SmartAboutHealth

New York AG Examines Colleges’ Relationships With Health Insurers
NextStudent, Arizona - 16 hours ago
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating the relationships between colleges and the health insurance companies they do business with just two ...
New York Attorney General Investigates Relationships Between ... Kaiser network.org
Cuomo Investigating Colleges’ Deals with Health Insurers New York Times
NY Probes Student Insurance Washington Post
dBTechno - Wall Street Journal Blogs
all 13 news articles


AASHE conference opens doors, minds to sustainable relationships
The Pendulum, NC - 30 minutes ago
by Kristin Schulz On Nov. 9, several Elon University students attended the second annual Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher ...


Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Announces Grant Recipients for $18 ...
SYS-CON Media, NJ - 1 hour ago
With 11 sites from around the country, the Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships (BHTR) initiative will enable communities to create and ...


Farm Leasing #3: Landowner & Operator Relationships
CattleNetwork.com, KS - 2 hours ago
The operator who leases a farm becomes the steward and caretaker of that property on behalf of the landowner. The landowner’s family may have obtained the ...


Canada.com

Ancient graves yield clues to family relationships
The Associated Press - Nov 17, 2008
While tools and remains from the stone age have long been studied, there are few clues to the social relationships between people. ...
Grave Is Oldest DNA Evidence of Family AOL News Newsbloggers
Using a Variety of Tools, Researchers Unravel Tale of German Graves New York Times
Prehistoric Family Values Science Now
Telegraph.co.uk - Times Online
all 305 news articles


Men With Facial Scars Are More Attractive To Women Seeking Short ...
Science Daily (press release) - Nov 18, 2008
Researchers investigated how scarring might impact on mate choice for men and women seeking both long-term and short-term relationships. ...


Gold Price Relationships
Seeking Alpha, NY - 5 hours ago
When talking about value, for many investors it all comes back to gold. How many ounces of gold does it take to purchase an asset, whether it be real estate ...


Ending Abusive Relationships
Sonoma Valley Sun, CA - 22 hours ago
I am a great believer in the value of commitment in relationships. It is when the threat of abandonment is reduced, by the commitment to work through ...


Crafting Your Image For Your 1000 Friends On Facebook Or MySpace
Science Daily (press release) - 13 hours ago
There are more relationships, but also more superficial relationships. Empathy and other human qualities may get reduced because of less face-to-face ...


Moore is adept at cleaning up building sites and building ...
Philadelphia Business Journal, PA - Nov 18, 2008
Although she is still young, Sirena Moore overcame a lot at a young age. She trusts more good things await. An African American girl, pregnant at age 17, ...

Relationships - Google News

Home | Site Map| Link Partners

Powered By: Free Google Adsense Websites!

© 2006