5 Things To Know About Your Partner Before You Get Engaged
You may think you know everything about your significant
other. But despite your wealth of knowledge, there’s still a chance you
haven’t asked the right questions to uncover certain key issues quite
yet. When you’re getting engaged to someone, there are certain things
you need to know about them, partially to assess your compatibility and
partially because communication, openness and trust are the foundations
of a healthy relationship.
Huffingtonpost.com suggests these five things you must know.
- How your significant other feels about children
This isn’t talk you should leave until after you tie the knot. Before
getting in too deep, you should know how you each feel about children.
Discover whether your partner wants them. Then, find out how many your
partner wants and when. Ask, what are your partner’s views on parenting
and gender roles? Can either of you imagine taking a break from a
high-powered career in order to focus more on caregiving? How do you
each see your roles as mom and dad?
- Whether you share the same values
From family to religion, are you and your significant other in
agreement? Or, ask if you can find a way to make room for your differing
sets of values? It’s important to know you have similar values so you
don’t feel blindsided or surprised when your partner tells you what
they’re willing or unwilling to do in terms of shared goals.
- Your partner’s financial status
Being compatible doesn’t just come down to chemistry. Financial
compatibility, is also important. So before you tie the knot, it’s best
to know if you’ll be taking on your partner’s debts or whether you’ll be
able to reach your own financial goals with his or her help. Ask your
partner if he or she is willing to share bank accounts, and how much he
or she makes. You’ll need to know how the financial burden might be
divided between the two of you, especially considering that money is the
No. 1 thing most couples fight about.
- Your sexual compatibility
Ask yourselves: Are your sex schedules and sex drives in sync? Do you
approach sex with similar views, looking to share and receive the same
things from the experience? Explore the desire and attraction you have
for one another so you can go into your relationship with a foundation
for sexual intimacy that can help sustain you when things are difficult.
Because if you know and understand one another’s sexual needs, you’ll
always have a baseline to get back to one another.
- You partner’s level of commitment to work
You can’t marry your partner if he or she is already married to his
or her job. Look for signs that your partner is maintaining a moderately
healthy work and life balance, and consider carefully whether you can
handle a partnership that leaves you lonely most of the time.
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