I'm a fan/proponent of pre-marital counseling. I think that couples should spend time examining their relationship and how to work things out before marriage. However, in the same way that college does little to prepare you for any actual work-place, pre-marital counseling is lacking covering every situation.
I think the following scenario should be included in pre-marital counseling:
- Couple receives a sum of money and must decide what to do with it: travel? invest? furnishings? Let's settle on furnishings, let's get a couch. Okay, well that's settled!
No, no, no -- not so fast!! NOW:
- Couple goes to furniture store and with complete honesty each points out which couch they LOVE.
- He and she now list all the myriad of reasons the other's couch will never cross the threshold of their home.
- NOW the negotiating comes in: what don't you like about it, what about this one that is a little different.
- Spend all afternoon visiting every furniture store in town seeing that they all have the same couches and you each still love and hate the same couches.
- Notice on your driving around town that your car is on it's last leg.
- Take car to repair shop where repairs cost the exact same amount you were planning on spending on a couch.
- Be thankful you have the money, and decide you sit in the car a lot more than on any couch anyway.
