Here is a guest post by Kay Pascale with tips about how to be more thankful with your partner. Kay Pascale is a writer from Durham, NC. When she isn't writing about family and wellness trends, she enjoys traveling, practicing yoga, and blogging.
Parenting can be exhausting and can impact how you treat your partner. Tending to your kids’ needs can very quickly become overwhelming to the point you don’t notice your own, let alone your partner’s needs and moods. If you were able to take a step back and look at the big picture, you’d likely realize just how helpful your partner is in helping you manage parenting.
If you have found yourself in a situation where you haven’t shown your partner how much you appreciate them, consider doing something little to show them your gratitude. Here are five ways to show your partner just how thankful you are to have them in your life.
If you have found yourself in a situation where you haven’t shown your partner how much you appreciate them, consider doing something little to show them your gratitude. Here are five ways to show your partner just how thankful you are to have them in your life.
1. Notice the little things
It’s easy to walk into the kitchen and immediately notice the mess your partner made. It’s probably tempting to make a comment or sigh because you know you’ll be cleaning it up. However, instead of noticing the one thing your partner did wrong, consider pointing out what they did right—did they keep the kids occupied and feed them breakfast so you didn’t have to? Did they cook you a meal because they knew how busy you were?
Practice focusing on the small positives rather than the negatives and you’ll quickly notice how your partner reacts and what it does to your relationship.
Practice focusing on the small positives rather than the negatives and you’ll quickly notice how your partner reacts and what it does to your relationship.
2. Help with chores
Maintaining a home is hard enough for two people—add in a couple of kids who have no sense of order or cleanliness and household chores can become tremendously harder. Oftentimes, chores around the house get divvied up between partners and things can fall through the cracks.
According to House Method, you can show your partner you’re thankful for all they do by helping them with their chores without complaining or making passive-aggressive comments about how they didn’t get around to them. Taking something as small as a load of laundry off their plate will make a big impact, and free up their time to spend with you.
According to House Method, you can show your partner you’re thankful for all they do by helping them with their chores without complaining or making passive-aggressive comments about how they didn’t get around to them. Taking something as small as a load of laundry off their plate will make a big impact, and free up their time to spend with you.
3. Plan a surprise gesture
No one knows your partner better than you, so consider planning a surprise for them as a way to show your appreciation for all they do. It can be something as big as planning a date night or a weekend away (and doing all the legwork that comes along with it), or something small but meaningful, like taking over bedtime duty and getting their favorite meal delivered to the house so they can relax and watch TV. Personalized gestures are a great way to remind your partner that you still know them and want to give them everything they love in life.
4. Give them a day off
If you’re a parent, chances are you’ve woken up a few times over the years and thought, “I just don’t want to do it all today.” Chances are also good that your partner has done the same thing. A good way to show your partner you’re thankful for them is to give them a day off. Plan to take the kids out for the day so that they can truly have that day off they so desperately want and deserve. Tell them the house is theirs for a certain amount of hours, reassure them that they don’t have to worry about cleaning up, and just give them some hard-earned alone time.
Say thank you
Think about all the small things your partner does for you on a daily basis. Maybe they make the bed every day or have your coffee ready for you when you come downstairs. Your partner likely does a variety of small things every day that you fail to say thank you for, simply because at this point they are habits you’ve gotten used to.
Really make an effort to notice the small things they do and say thank you for each one. Everyone wants to get a little recognition now and then, and it’s nice to hear that the little sacrifices we make don’t go unnoticed. Appreciation goes a long way in a marriage.
Marriage requires a lot of work on both ends, but it’s something that’s worth fighting for every day. Make time to show your partner how much they’re loved and appreciated and you’ll notice that your bond will grow stronger—despite the tiny dictators doing their best to break your spirits day in and day out.
Really make an effort to notice the small things they do and say thank you for each one. Everyone wants to get a little recognition now and then, and it’s nice to hear that the little sacrifices we make don’t go unnoticed. Appreciation goes a long way in a marriage.
Marriage requires a lot of work on both ends, but it’s something that’s worth fighting for every day. Make time to show your partner how much they’re loved and appreciated and you’ll notice that your bond will grow stronger—despite the tiny dictators doing their best to break your spirits day in and day out.
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If you haven’t already read the book, it’s a great place to start - Relationship Reboot: Break free from the bad habits in your relationship.
David B. Younger, Ph.D. is the creator of Love After Kids, for couples that have grown apart since having children. He is a clinical psychologist and couples therapist with a web-based private practice and lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, 14-year-old son, 5-year-old daughter and 7-year-old toy poodle.
If you haven’t already read the book, it’s a great place to start - Relationship Reboot: Break free from the bad habits in your relationship.
David B. Younger, Ph.D. is the creator of Love After Kids, for couples that have grown apart since having children. He is a clinical psychologist and couples therapist with a web-based private practice and lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, 14-year-old son, 5-year-old daughter and 7-year-old toy poodle.
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