Marriage is a long-term commitment. Even if you’ve married the love of your life, it’s not always rainbows and butterflies because you cannot avoid the disagreements. Sure, a lot goes into making a marriage work but it’s the little things that matter the most.
From saying Thank You or Sorry to making your partner laugh randomly, this Reddit thread is proof that strong relationships are a result of small gestures.
1. “Respecting each others sleep cycle.” – arandomproton
2. Communication. Is. The. Key. Hearing your partner when they’re a little down or frustrated, etc. and listening to them is a small effort with a profound effect. – MoistTractofLand
3. Remembering that it’s not always 50/50. Some days you will be totally wiped from work, or the kids, or whatever else really, and your spouse will take on more responsibility for you, and your spouse will have days like that and you will be the one to take on more responsibility for your household. I believe that the biggest key is remembering that you are a team, and no matter what you need to try to put the stress of each day aside and “help your team” accomplish what you need to accomplish. – Tatted_painter
4. Marriage is at least a few parts being a good roommate. So replace the last of whatever you used, clean up after yourself, and be considerate. – rhinoheader
5. This may sound old fashioned, but, good manners. Say please and thank you. Be solicitous of each other and show appreciation, especially for all the every day little stuff. – Flahdagal
6. Remember that person is your best friend and treat them as such. You’re in it together, not against each other. – WitzEndSendHelp
7. I would say showing appreciation and trying new things together. – alskjdhf
8. Don’t be afraid to act like kids and have silly fun. Take frequent weekend trips together any time you can – even if in your own city. Never stop learning about each other. – xheylove
9. Do not assign one person in the relationship to be the “House Manager”. No one wants that job and it will just lead to anger and resentment. For example one person doesn’t get to say “just tell me when you want me to do laundry.” You both should know/acknowledge when laundry needs to be done and do it without asking. – Anneisabitch
10. Keeping the sex life alive. – honeybunny214
11. Cook together once a week; allow freedom of spending proportional to your family budget. – grumpy_suburbanite
12. Learn each other’s love language. This is important to longevity. Some people are touchy. Some are physical. Some show love by acts. It’s helped me out greatly in a 2 decade long relationship. – SmrtestIdiot
13. Say thank you even when you don’t think you need to. It’s not hard and makes a huge difference. – purplefart16
14. A good balance of time together, and time apart. Oh and it’s not for everyone, but we found separate finances worked for us vs pooling our money together. – Historical-Law2262
15. Looking out for each other’s needs. And I don’t mean just the “bigger” needs. It’s also the smaller ones like giving your wife a glass of water when you think she’s thirsty or you’ve noticed that she’s been at it with the chores without even a water break for more than an hour. Or making her a cup of coffee in the afternoon and inviting her to take a break. Or volunteer to cook dinner when you noticed that she’s tired from work. This will work best if it goes both ways, wherein you both are giving each other small sprinklings of love and care. – Bibingka_Malagkit
No matter if you’ve just married or have been for years, these little gestures will always matter.