Last week we did an interview on Mindstream Radio and I mentioned that you needed to have a plan before going into a marriage. They asked me to elaborate and I went into a few things but wanted to talk about it more here. Some people I’ve talked to that are experiencing real relationship problems seem to have those issues due to lack of a clear plan up front. You know the old saying, “If you fail to plan, you can plan to fail”.
When you enter into a relationship with that other person you’re coming from two different backgrounds, two different histories and two totally different points of view. Before your heart takes you away you need to sit down and have a discussion to make sure the plan you have is the same one or similar to what they are thinking. Here are a few things I think you should talk about with your plan:
1. Children – Do you plan on having any? How many do you want? If one person already has kids, are they willing to have more? Seems simple enough but I’ve seen people not address this then get into a relationship and be ready to leave because their spouse doesn’t want any (or anymore) kids.
2. Finances – We’ve talked about it before. You need to know what’s up with each other’s money and spending habits. Is their credit score jacked up because they’ve been out of work due to the recession, or because Louis Vuitton keeps calling them?
What are some other key points to discuss before getting involved? Read about it at BlackAndMarriedWithKids.com.
