Relationship Manners

Relationship Manners

It make sense that we should be polite in public. Chew with our mouth closed. Use our indoor voices inside. But what about when it comes to relationships? At some point in the relationship, there seems to be an imaginary line that gets crossed where manners cease to be a priority. In the beginning of a relationship, your focus tends to be on putting your best foot forward. As the relationship progresses and you begin to get more comfortable with each other, little things start to slide. Unfortunately, manners are often among those “little things.”

You might not think that something as simple as eating with your mouth open at the table can cause a rift in a relationship. However, when you really take a closer look at what it represents, you’ll begin to understand the how and why a bit better.

Manners are a way we communicate our respect for other individuals. Holding the door open for a stranger shows that we are aware they are there and that we want to make life a bit easier for them. Refraining from losing your temper in public shows that you respect the people around you enough to stop for a second and assess the situation.

If exhibiting manners shows respect, imagine what not having them communicates. How do you feel when someone is rude to you or someone around you? What about when someone does something inconsiderate? If you get upset when people you don’t know do these things, what do you think happens when manners get lost in a relationship?

What’s sad is that all of us tend to let things slide when it comes to long-term relationships. The familiarity allows us to become insensitive to things we might never even conceive of doing to strangers. When we have a bad day, we snap at our partners, knowing they’ll understand. We may let things go that would only take us a few minutes to fix.

When a relationship moves into the comfort zone, things are bound to be taken for granted. When people say a relationship takes work, this is one of those areas they are talking about. You have to make a concerted effort to keep manners in a relationship, because at the end of the day, it’s all about respect. Your relationship is like a mirror. The way you treat your partner is how they will understand they should treat you.

This week, make a conscious effort to show your partner you respect them. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. If you get upset, don’t be rude about it – treat them like you would when you were dating. In fact, go the extra mile and do something nice and unexpected.

Kiss 'n Tell!