When you're young, going out on dates with different people is a great way to see what type of person you are attracted to. But as you get older, dating stops becoming an exploration of people and starts on a path toward finding the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.
Dating is important in relationships because it helps you get to know one another better. This period is spent seeing how compatible you are with each other and figuring out whether you see the relationship going anywhere.
Are you in a new relationship that you would like to see progress down the road of marriage? Here are 7 reasons why dating is important in a relationship.
1. Helps you develop a friendship
Do you and your spouse get along? This is one of the biggest reasons why dating is important in a relationship - you get to know each other on a deeper level. You understand how you interact and what your chemistry is like.
Does your spouse always seem to say the wrong thing or are they someone who can always make you laugh? Research shows that couples who laugh together are more likely to stay together than couples who don't.
Research reveals that couples experience less stress and greater happiness while spending time with each other. This study highlights the importance of spending quality time together as a couple and developing a marital friendship instead of just a romance.
2. Puts the relationship to the test
Part of dating in relationships is about learning how you and your partner handle unexpected situations.
Loss of a loved one, losing your job, getting seriously ill, or having an unplanned pregnancy are all curveballs you may experience in your life together.
Before getting serious, you should make sure that your partner is someone who is patient, loving, supportive, and strong when situations get hard.
3. Learn how to resolve arguments
Do you and your spouse know how to tactfully bring up issues in the relationship or do your disagreements often turn into World War III?
Before settling down with someone, you must learn how to argue respectfully.
Research shows that going to bed angry can actually have a lasting negative side effect. When you go to sleep without resolving your issues, your brain begins to hold on to negative memories which can interrupt your sleep and make you feel depressed or irritated in the morning.
In order to avoid the pitfalls of arguments, learn the art of compromise. Meet in the middle and cut your partner some slack whenever it is reasonable to do so. It's also important to try and see things from their point of view. This will help you find the real issue at hand.
4. Do your futures align?
How well does your future align with your spouse? You get along great and your chemistry is out of this world, but that doesn't mean you want the same things out of life.
Some important topics for discussion include:
Your location. He wants to move, she wants to stay in the city to be closer to her family.
Your career. She wants to switch careers, but he's uncomfortable with her giving up the financial stability her current job brings.
Your home. He wants to buy, she wants to rent.
Your family. She wants to be a mother, he has never had a parental inclination.
These are all important aspects to know about your potential future with someone. For example, disagreeing about children can lead to extremely painful and resentful circumstances if not discussed beforehand.
Having children must be a mutual decision, so ask your partner how they feel about it before you're too deep in the relationship to dig your way out.
It's imperative you both agree on matters of finances, location, careers, and family before moving forward with your relationship.
5. Learn healthy way to communicate
A lack of communication is cited as one of the most common reasons for married couples to end up divorced. Therefore, it's essential that you and your sweetheart learn how to talk to one another before you take a big step like moving in together or getting married.
A great partner is someone who listens patiently while you are speaking, instead of waiting for you to take a breath so that they can jump in with their own opinions.
Healthy communication also involves respectful speech. They don't use an argument as an invitation to tear you down or belittle you. Instead, they look at disagreements as an opportunity to solve a problem.
6. Meet friends and family
You can tell a lot about a person by who they choose to spend their time with. One benefit to dating in relationships is that you get to know your spouse's close friends and family. You get a better idea of the way they behave around other people and the type of people you are choosing to let into your life.
7. Learn financial standing
Dating in relationships also gives you the opportunity to get to know how well your spouse does with the money.
Research indicates that millennials are more likely to discuss money than any other generation thus far, but that doesn't mean that everyone is so comfortable dishing out the dirt about their finances. In a Money Matters report done by Acorns, 68% of couples said they would rather talk about how much their weigh than talk about how much money they had in savings. Ouch!
Talking about finances is an important part of any mature relationship.
How will you separate your finances?
Which of you have debts and how will you pay them off?
As the relationship progresses, will you join bank accounts or keep them separated?
Is your spouse good with money or are they financially irresponsible?
Make it your goal to communicate openly about your finances while you're dating.
If you're in a new relationship, don't rush things. Dating is an essential step toward finding your forever person. Dating will help you and your spouse develop a friendship, learn to communicate, and see how your futures align.
Learn and grow from your experiences together and you will see your relationship progress toward marriage.
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