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Saturday, July 08, 2006

Married Bliss (2)

I was interested in the comments on the Married Bliss entry earlier this week, and I went back to talk to my friends. They said that in some ways, the fact that the wife decided to study for her MBA was self-defence, and also a way of making the changes in the relationship work out.

Education is such a powerful agent for change in life that they decided that if they were going to try to make their marriage work, they had to find a new equilibrium, and education had changed one of them, maybe it would allow some degree of counterbalance.

At the moment they think it is working, but it has substantially changed the character of their marriage - and not all bad, by any means. But it all still hangs in the balance.

And no, he didn't think that he would go back to ironing his shirts, but on the other hand he was earning enough to send them to the laundry - highly satisfactory for all parties concerned.

# posted by Mary @ 3:57 PM

Comments:

The moral of the story being "Get your MBA so that someone else’s wife has to iron your shirts?"

Tee hee.

I think you’re right though, education (whether an MBA program or other higher degree: even a vocational program that trains you for a new job) can be such a change in life that relationships can, well, perhaps not suffer, but at least need reassessment.

I’m not sure we should be all that surprised at this either. Having children (even not being able to have them), having them and they then some years leaving home, moving to a new town or country, all of these things can put great strains on couples.

The change in dynamics when one part of a couple does something different (like, as mentioned, their MBA) can be a trigger for other changes. As you’ve pointed out, a very good solution is for the other partner to grow in a similar manner.

# posted by failingeconomist : 8:49 AM

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Saturday, July 08, 2006

Married Bliss (2)

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