Ways of maintaining love and respect between husband and wife 1.

Marital Relationship Stages in the Married Life: a. The Honeymoon Stage the couple feels and acts very much in love, usually because they have just been married. The love that brought them to the altar is still very much in place. b. The Stage of Dillusionment one or both partners become disenchanted or disappointed, either with the marriage it has turned out to be the contrary to expectations, or the spouse has not lived up to the ideas the husband or the wife had of her or him. c. The stage of Misery if the reasons for the Dillusionment are not resolved, the fostering disappointment would soon lead to regret and suffering with the desire to end the painful situation. This is when many marriages break up. It the US this is when divorce takes place. Most teenage marriages also break up at this point. Due to the youth and unreadiness, they are not prepared to cope with the reality of being married. d. The stage of Acceptance some couples come to this stage without any problem. Acceptance comes with actually seeing the reality of marriage, the reality about the partner, about whom there may have been misconceptions or unrevealed vital information. One is able to face the realities and cope with them, or take them in stride e. The stage of Maturity there are couples who are capable of making that big jump from the honeymoon stage to the stage of maturity, because they come into marriage itself, about married life: its joys and possible problems. They are ready to love and accept each other for better or for worse. This stage is sustained by their abiding relationship with God. 2. Sexual Adjustment The sexual attitudes and expectations are learnt by an individual from his/her early childhood from his/her family and his peer group. The cultural norms of the society in which he/she grows up and matures and his/her biological structure modify the acquired attitudes of the person. Knowledge of sexual anatomy and appropriate sexual activities are also necessary for good adjustment. The other factors conducive for good sexual relationship are complete emotional acceptance of each other and an understanding of each other's behavior.

 Some reasons newly married couples may find it difficult to enjoy sex after marriage: - The female is a virgin and finds intercourse to be uncomfortable for a short period of time. - The couple has different ideas on what romance is and the effect it has on their intimate relationships. - The couple is uncomfortable talking about sexuality and assume that the other person is equipped with mind- reading abilities and knows what the other one likes or wants.

3. Power, decision-making and communication a. Sharing roles/Power Originally the husband was the head of the home and the chief authority in the family. But now the domination of the man seems to be giving way to equalitarian roles between husband and wife. More women have moved into employment outside the home. So the husband has to share the provider role with his wife. He also has to give up his position as the custodian of family wealth as the wife has come to share spending. He has to accept her equality in community affairs also. They share household chores including the care of children. b. Decision making/Economic Equality A working wife plays an important role in decision making. When the women are employed, there is a tendency for the couple to share power equally. Wives are less dependent upon their husbands. The husbands in turn are freed from the burden of total support to their wives. Husbands provide more emotional support to working wives. c. Communication The spouses should show the ability and willingness to communicate with each other. Communication is the breath of married life. It is not enough to love, to care or to respect. The lover must express affection.