Rule 46 — Your Partner Is More Important Than Your Kids

For the singles out there, this Rule will sound remote. But feel free to share with your married friends.

Many of us have seen friends putting their heart and soul into caring for their kids and, in the process, neglecting their partner. Sad, isn’t it?

Yes, kids are important, but so is your chosen life partner. Your kids will grow up and start their own family. Who are you left with then? Your partner. But if you have neglected him or her, how are you going to spend the rest of your life together?

You also want your kids to have the right mindset about relationships. You don’t want them growing up thinking it’s ok to neglect one’s partner.

Reflection: This isn’t about your partner getting more time than the kids because that often just isn’t possible.

Rule 47 — Make Time For Romance

When bogged down with work (and kids), romance can be the furthest thing on our mind. Yet romance is the very thing needed if you wish for your relationship to always contain that little special something.

A candle-lit dinner is romantic, but romance need not come with a big price tag. A walk in the park. A nice picnic. A stay-home night with pizza and a movie. A hot bath and massage together.

Go create some romance with your partner now.

Reflection: Come on, you know your partner well enough by now to have a pretty good idea how to romance them.

Rule 48 — Have A Passion For Your Life Together

If you are in a comfortable relationship, do you still feel the passion for your partner? Not sexual passion — passion for them as a person.

If it is fizzling, why? Kids? Work? Or you are simply so comfortable that passion no longer seems necessary?

Go back to Rules 46 and 47. Master those two rules, and Rule 48 is a piece of cake.

Reflection: Put them at the top of your priority list and dedicate your life to them.

Rule 49 — Share The Workload

Being in a relationship also means treating your partner fairly — including sharing the home workload.

Everyone works. Even a stay-home mum has work — looking after kids IS WORK.

When you return home and your partner is busy preparing the meal, help lay the table or put the laundry to wash. Do not laze in front of the TV.

Some might think, “I worked the whole day, I deserve the break.” Well, so did your partner. Why can’t you help lighten their load?

The same applies to housewives and stay-home mums. Gentlemen, if you have never spent a day doing housework, try it — then decide if that is more tiring or your work battle is worse.

Reflection: No lie-ins every morning while they get up with the kids.

Rule 50 — Trust The Other One To Do The Job

If you and your partner have agreed on who does what, you have to trust your partner to get it done. You might not agree with the way they do it, but it should be their responsibility.

If their way is making the task worse, of course share your views. But at the end of the day, hand over the responsibility.

Trust that they know what needs to be done.

Reflection: If you are going to give the task to your partner, you have to give them the responsibility too.