Becoming a great parent takes a lot of work. Some of the main skills that are used include both understanding and communication. Guess what? These are also two of the main skills that are needed to have a great marriage relationship as well. Believe it or not, some of those parenting techniques that you have been working so hard to learn have another use – they can be used on your spouse. Of course using those time outs probably are not going to work on your spouse…or will they? You may come to find out that using parenting techniques within our marriage can make it strong and can enhance your relationship. Here’s a look at some of the parenting techniques out there that you can take and apply to your marriage relationship as well.
Parenting Technique #1 – Choose Your Battles
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One common parenting technique that you have probably learned to use on your children is picking your battles. After all, not everything really is worth having a fight over. There are some things that are worth the battle, and some things that are not. The same is going to be true within your marriage. It’s important to choose your battles with your spouse. Unless it is worth the battle, then let it go. Sometimes couples end up fighting all the time because they choose the wrong battles to fight. Learn a bit from your parenting skills and start choosing the battles you have with your spouse. You’ll find it makes your relationship a whole lot better.
Parenting Technique #2 – Go with Brief Requests
Another parenting technique that we parents often use on our kids is going with brief requests. After all, kids don’t always do well with the long and drawn out requests. They are more likely to forget a request that is too long for them. Shorter requests are easier for them to remember. This is yet another technique that can be used within your marriage. Instead of giving your spouse some long and drawn out request, go with a request that is brief. After all, they are as busy as you are. The shorter request will probably register and there is more chance of it getting done. There’s less chance of frustration when you keep it short.
Parenting Technique #3 – Reward Behavior that is Positive
By now you have probably learned that you get better results from kids when you reward behavior that is positive. Instead of always pointing out behavior that is negative, you can encourage your children to behave in a positive way by rewarding this type of behavior. While you won’t want to offer your spouse a cookie when they do something that you like, there are ways that this parenting technique can also work to help your marriage out. Simply showing that you appreciate great behavior by saying a thank you can make a huge difference and encourage them to continue to go on with that kind of behavior.
Parenting Technique #4 – Try Time Outs
The time out. Now that is a trick that every parent learns to use in a variety of ways. Sometimes your kids need a time out, whether they are acting in a way that they shouldn’t or they have done something they weren’t supposed to do. This is a way that you can get your children to step back and figure out what they were doing wrong. Sometimes this can also be something that works well within your marriage relationship. While you probably can’t send your spouse to the bedroom for a time out, you can remove yourself from their presence if you have to, effectively using the time out. When things get heated and you are both upset, sometimes a time out can really be a huge help. You’ll both be removing yourself from the situation so you can cool off and get a bit of perspective on the situation. When you talk again, you’ll both probably have a much better perspective on the problem so that it can be worked out together.
Parenting Technique #5 – Spend Time Together
Spending quality time with your kids is so important. Each of your children need some of your undivided attention. You don’t always feel like taking the time out with your kids, but it is important to your relationship. After all, when you spend some time with your kids, you will probably end up getting some peace for a bit yourself. Spending time with your spouse is also very important. Time spent together will strengthen the relationship that you have with your spouse, just as it does with your children. You may not always feel like doing something with your spouse. It may include you doing something that you don’t want to do. However, when you spend that time together, you will end up strengthening the relationship and will also probably earn you some time to yourself, which is also very important.
As you can see, using your parenting skills within your relationship isn’t such a big idea. These are just a few of the techniques that parents use that can help your marriage as well. Using them is a great idea and can help you accomplish more within your marriage. The basics of parenting can work amazingly for marriage, and it will definitely give you a brand new perspective on ways that you can work to make your marriage a lot stronger.
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