Myths about Marriage and Parenting

Recently, parent educator, Allison Rees and I were recording our weekly radio show on Village 900. (For those of you on the Island you can tune in Tuesday evenings at 7 or Sunday mornings at 9 . For those outside reach of the 900 on the AM dial you can tune in through the website at www.village900.com)

Allison and I were discussing some typical myths about marriage and parenting which led to talking about embracing values which are the key to successful relationships.

As with the radio show, Allison and I will be discussing this topic on the blog over the next week or so. To start it off I am going to outline the Myths with the accompanying Reality. These ideas are based from a book which Allison read last year—at the moment I don't know the name of the book but we will pass along the name of it soon.

Here are a few MYTH/REALITY ideas for you to contemplate::

MYTH #1
The old adage - Opposites Attract - a couple in their differences complement each other

REALITY #1
Great relationships require identical core values. People can be quite different or very much alike, it is the underlying core values that they hold that create the bond.

MYTH #2
Love will carry you through the hard times of a relationship.

REALITY #2
It is the shared values that pull you through a crisis.

MYTH #3
Selflessness and giving to others build the best relationships.

REALITY #3
Clear limits and boundaries build mutual respect and lasting relationships. Martyrdom does not really work in a relationship or guilt for that matter.

These and the others to follow certainly provided me with food for thought.