A Marriage Without Regrets – Do You Regret Getting Married?
Do you regret getting married? Have you ever said to yourself “I regret getting married”? Is your marriage a happy marriage or an unhappy marriage? If you could do it all over again, would you still choose to be married to your spouse? Are you planning on getting married? Why? The sheer number of unhappy marriages and staggering divorce rates should give dating and/or engaged couples reason for pause, and serious consideration into building a happy marriage without regrets in order to avoid divorce altogether.
According to a study of 4000 married couples carried out by market research firm OnePoll.com, a quarter of married men and women regret getting married to their spouses, while 15% of engaged couples planning to get married have misgivings about their upcoming nuptials. Is it “cold feet” pre-wedding jitters, or is there something more serious going on? Why do people regret getting married?
The average married couple gives up on romance just two years, six months and 25 days into a marriage, according to the research poll. “We tend to think of marriage as something people do when they are in love but this survey reveals that people tie the knot for all sorts of different reasons,” OnePoll’s John Sewell said. “And many of them aren’t sure they want to get married — even as they are standing at the altar saying their vows, which may worry some brides and grooms-to-be.”
- Four percent of the married people surveyed said they had gotten married for the wrong reasons, because they wanted wedding presents and a party, not because they were in love.
- 23 percent said they would not marry their partner if they could do it all over again, and 14 percent wished they had married someone else from their past.
- Only 28 percent confessed to being virgins when they met their future spouse, with some respondents saying they had slept with an average of four people before they met their marriage partner, and five percent admitted to having 20 or more previous sexual partners.
- 35 percent said the person they married was not the best sexual partner they have ever had and another 33 percent said that being single was more fun than being married.
- 12 percent of people surveyed said they stay with their partner just because they couldn’t be bothered to find someone new.
- Fifteen percent of husbands and wives admitted to lying to each other about their love lives, with most decreasing the number of previous sexual partners while two percent admitted to boosting the number.
- 83 percent of those surveyed said they couldn’t be bothered to celebrate the date they tied the knot by their third anniversary.
- Seven out of ten men admitted they were so comfortable with their spouse they frequently left socks, pants and other dirty washing lying around the house, while 79 percent admitted they no longer bothered to put the toilet seat down.
- 75 percent of men and women said they wouldn’t relinquish control over the remote control to their other half, even if they asked nicely.
- Two thirds of the married women polled said they no longer put forth the effort to dress up and look nice for their spouse. Nearly a third said they stay on the far side of the bed, claiming they don‘t have time for sex with their husbands.
- 54 percent of women polled no longer bothered wearing make-up; 61 percent admitted that they throw on a ratty T-shirt, comfy tracksuit bottoms or pajamas as soon as they got home from work, and 10 percent of married women said they don’t bother to wear sexy lingerie to spice things up in the bedroom.
- 83 percent of couples surveyed held hands often while out during the first few months of marriage, compared to just 38 percent after a decade of being married.
- Prior to the first wedding anniversary, partners would cuddle and hug more than eight times a day- compared with five or fewer after ten years of marriage. 60 percent said they hadn’t been surprised with a romantic night out since getting hitched.
John Sewell said, “It would appear that many are stuck in a rut, and whilst they still love their other half, they’re a little too comfortable in each others company. Couples need to find a good balance between feeling comfortable and taking each other for granted. The odd romantic meal would probably be all many couples need to spice things up a bit – and small gestures such as tidying up, and helping out with the housework would go a long way.”
Right and Wrong Reasons to Get Married
Marriage regrets often happen because dating and/or engaged couples haven’t considered their reasons for wanting to get married in the first place. Couples don’t think about the pros and cons of marriage, but choose to focus their time, attention and financial resources to the Cinderella wedding fairytale fantasy while planning a wedding that lasts just one day.
There are good reasons to get married and bad reasons to get married, but brides-to-be and grooms-to-be often pay too much attention to planning the fairytale fluff of the wedding day ceremony and reception, rather than planning and preparing for marriage and the difficulties that go with being married after the wedding day is over.
Brides-to-be often plan their wedding at The Knot Wedding Shop where decisions are made about the wedding budget, wedding dress, flowers, bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls, ring bearers, wedding cake, grooms cake, wedding rings, wedding invitations, chapel or wedding venue options, the honeymoon, DJ, photographer and video etc. Your wedding day is just one day out of the rest of your life.
Marriage Without Regrets
If you really want a marriage without regrets
- Resolving conflict in marriage
- Understanding each partner’s role
- Improving the sexual relationship
- Becoming financially wise
- Respecting and keeping marriage vows
Getting married for the wrong reasons can quickly lead to an unhappy marriage ending in divorce, because couples did not prepare for marriage properly, were too young to get married or didn’t consider the fact that being married and being happily married are two entirely different things.
See: How to Please a Woman in Bed, Pleasure and Satisfy Her Completely
Before you say “I do”, and preferably before getting engaged, there are hard questions about marriage that need to be asked that may determine the success or failure of your marriage relationship before it even starts. Asking yourself and your prospective spouse the right questions before marriage will not only help you decide if you’ve truly found “The One”, but will also help you avoid common problems that can lead to divorce.
To “let go” does not mean to stop caring,
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
Common reasons why couples fight include money, in-laws, sex, children, housework, jobs and friends. Conflict and arguments are inevitable in all marriages, but how you fight and how you end an argument can determine the long-term success or failure of your marriage. If done correctly, dealing with conflicts in your marriage by understanding how to fight fair in marriage can actually help and strengthen your relationship.
Take it private and keep it private. Fighting in front of your children is nothing short of child abuse. Not keeping in control of your emotions will scar your children emotionally, and does not provide them the proper role model of how to fight fair as they mature. Resist the urge to discuss relationship problems with friends, family or in-laws, as this will be seen as a betrayal of trust and makes 
should the unthinkable occur and her husband dies or there is a divorce.
