Things you should discuss before marriage

By Tiffany Bailey – Thu May 26 7:18am PDT

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If you both aren’t on the same page, the relationship will not survive. Credit: wikipedia commons, Musaromana

When you are in a relationship, the long-term goal is almost always marriage. Before you take a big step like that, there are a few things you need to discuss with one another. As it stands for most people, marriage is a lifelong commitment. When you decide to spend your life with someone, there are certain things you must agree upon. If you both aren’t on the same page, the relationship will not survive.

Children

This discussion should be easy, either you want children or you don’t. Sometimes though, it isn’t so black and white. What happens if you want children, but your partner is sterile? Sometimes adoption is not an easy route. Unplanned pregnancies can happen, even with the use of birth control. What about what will happen after the baby is born? Talking about whether or not you will go back to work is a must. Once you think this through, it seems a lot more complicated than most think it is.

Money

For most people this conversation will consist of how much money combined they will have after the marriage. For others, it won’t be as easy. Have you talked about a prenuptial agreement? This is becoming more and more common, and is no longer for the wealthy only. Anything of substantial value should be protected before the marriage. Some are offended by the insinuation of a prenuptial agreement, but you never know what could happen. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Life Goals

This is extremely important to discuss before an engagement. Sometimes life goals aren’t always straightforward. If your partner has a job with the possibility of relocation, will you be all right leaving your family? Schooling is also something that needs to be discussed. If more college is in the future for one of you, can the other pick up the slack? There are all sorts of different scenarios that can be worked out of here, each with different outcomes.

Talking about things with your partner should always be one of the most important things in any relationship. Before jumping into an engagement or marriage, all of these things need to be talked over. Life isn’t always black and white, but being prepared on some level is better than being completely clueless. These are the most important things your marriage will be centered around and making sure you both want the same things is essential for a successful marriage.