Guest Blogger: Carmen Overton, M.Ed, The Pastoral Institute
Who is in charge of the check book at your house?
This is one of the questions we ask our couples going through our Preparing for Marriage class. Many are so caught up in the bliss of planning a wedding and a life together, that they haven’t stopped to think about the details of being married, including their future family finances.
We all have expectations about married life. We get our expectations from our family history, the movies, our friends, and all types of life experiences. It is very important to remember that many of our expectations are going to be different than those of the person we marry.
Understanding each other’s expectations can decrease the frustration, disappointment, and anger that occurs when expectations go unmet.
I hope you’ll take a moment to check out the expectations quiz below and spend a little time talking about expectations tonight. Use this quiz to determine who is primarily responsible for each of the common tasks listed. Using your answers, create a time to talk together about your views and hopes for a healthy, lasting marriage.
QUIZ: What do you expect?
Carmen Overton, M.Ed, is the director of Right From the Start, a community initiative dedicated to strengthening marriage and families. Find out more at www.rightfromthestart.org.
