What Did You Say to Me?

Happy Monday!

To be perfectly honest, we almost always come up with #marriagemonday topics based off of lessons we’ve learned (the hard way) throughout the week. This week is no exception, so we thought we’d share a little something with you that we were reminded of.

We were riding in the car (we sure do that a lot!) and Brittany asked Reid a question. Reid interpreted the question differently than Brittany meant it, so he answered with something that made no sense to Brittany. She asked him the question again, which puzzled him, and he answered the same as the first time. Brittany’s frustration grew because obviously, Reid was just avoiding the question she was asking! Reid’s frustration grew in response to Brittany’s frustration, and that she wasn’t understanding his simple answer to her simple question. You see where this is going. Several minutes and few higher tones later, Brittany re-worded her question, to which Reid responded with an answer that finally made sense! Why did something so incredibly simple turn into an argument so quickly? What could we have done to avoid all of that?

We learned several years ago that when asked a question that you don’t fully understand, or you think you understand, but your answer leaves someone puzzled, it’s wise to ask a “clarifying question.” “What I hear you saying is _______…” Instead of assuming (assuming is always a big no-no) the other person isn’t communicating well, repeat their question to make sure you understand exactly what they mean. It’s an easy step to save a lot of frustration or even hurt feelings.

We hope this is helpful! We’ll definitely be working on it 🙂

Come back tomorrow to see a recap of Alex and Stephanie’s Marlsgate Plantation wedding last weekend!

Have a great Monday!