TASTES IN MUSIC, SPORTS, CLOTHES ETC. DO THEY NEED TO MATCH ONE ANOTHER?
You are pretty familiar with this story; boy meets girl, they totally like each other and start dating, then before they know it, they are in constant fights. They clash over the remote control, argue over what kind of music they should play in the car or the house, which restaurant they should visit, what they should eat for dinner, which holiday destination to select and so the list goes on. Worse comes to worst when either one of them becomes a control freak, one sided and demanding which is definitely not healthy for any relationship. The root of all these fights is the fact that as individuals we are wired differently, we have different tastes and preferences.
This forces me to think that relationships would be better if we all compromised to some extent. Don’t you think so? When we compromise we show that we care for and respect the other person’s feelings. So men, when we want to watch the romantic film i.e. “chick flick” or want to listen and sing our hearts out to the blues, just let us do it and we promise to let you talk to us about football, even when we don’t understand why twenty two grown men chase after an inflated leather bag. We promise to become fans of your football team and let you watch your team play and perhaps at half time, you can let us watch that reality show that we love. Wouldn’t this create harmony in our relationships?
Needless to say, couples don’t need to like the exact same things, in fact it would be boring if they did. Think about it, wouldn’t it be boring if the two of you have the exact tastes in things? One of the joys of a relationship is to be introduced to different things and perspectives by your partner. It is far more interesting and fun when you are able to explore your partner’s world and share the experience(s) and things they like. This is not to say that you have to like everything your partner likes, if you do not like them, simply compromise.
Your common interest may draw you together but will not keep you together. Learn to embrace your different tastes and enjoy every moment. To get a male perspective on this topic, please click link to read my colleague, Mitchell’s views – http://goo.gl/WpYzX7 Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, from Marilyne
