It’s the sort of thought that would bring our parents to a horrified halt. There is the real fear a grandparent might catch a whisper of it, and there will be a scene reminiscent of an Ekta Kapoor serial.
But ask the younger generations, and it’s common knowledge that it might just be the smart choice.
- Try Before You Buy
Live together or learn how to live together, and however bad it might be to realize that you can’t do it, it’s still better than having to get a divorce.
Just don’t treat a live-in relationship like a trial, where you can bail out any time. If you aren’t serious enough to stick it out through the hard times, then it’s better just to break up. The idea is to try and avoid a messy break-up!
- Low-Key Living
Even if you’re convinced that the two of you are going to get married and live happily ever after, it’s still a good idea to have a live-in relationship.
Why? Because then you learn to adjust together without all the stress and expense of a marriage hanging over your shoulder.
After a wedding, buying a new fridge or going on a vacation might be impossible because all of your spare cash is gone in the marriage. It creates a lot of extra stress when you’re learning how to adjust to a new person in your space.
- Learn the Differences From A Roommate
I am a great roommate/flatmate. I’ve heard it from 7 out of 8 people I’ve lived with, so it has to be right! So I’m sure to have a great married life, right? Nah.
Treating a married life like having a roommate is going to end pretty badly!
Learn how to live with a spouse, how to live with someone permanently and deal with the problems that crop up. It will take time to unlearn behaving like a roommate.
- Have Some Privacy
The minute you’re married, you’re going to have many well-meaning (or not!) relatives asking about your ‘plans.’ When the question is – are you going to give them a kid to play with?
Apart from offering them a fluffy toy and suggesting that kids aren’t toys, the other alternative is just to grin and bear it.
When you’re already trying to adjust to a new living situation, these small constant stressors can become unbearable.
- Enjoy Yourself!
Following directly on from the above, once you’re married, in a way you’re everybody’s business. Your parents, your spouse’s parents, every relative you haven’t ever heard of will come out of the woodwork to explain the ‘realities of life’ to you.
Have a live-in relationship and enjoy the private time that you can have together without having to take into account roommates, relatives, and everyone else.
Whatever you do, always be honest with each other and learn how to take the little problems less seriously. It’ll make both marriages and live together much more comfortable!
Keyword: Live in before marriage
