Page 85 - STMT 2nd Edition

Experts say the drama of the rebellion stage are

unavoidable.

Learning the art of the good fight is the mission now – often it is the nature

of the battles, rather than the substance of the discussion, that leads to

trouble.

Why? Rebellious thoughts, when met with anger and frustration, often

lead to rebellious actions, such as infidelity, outlandish spending, or saying

yes to the sudden offer from work to transfer to a new city.

Any of these can spell disaster for a marriage.

Stage Four of Marriage:

Cooperation

As marriages progress over time, they inevitably become more

complicated.

Careers grow, houses get bigger, personal commitments grow deeper,

and children arrive.

In the cooperation stage, marriage takes on a business-like personality.

Set aside all that love and emotion and personal-realization stuff: There

are mortgages to be paid, investments to be handled, careers to be

directed, health to be managed, and children to be raised.

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