7 important times to give full attention to your spouse

Marriage requires your undivided attention. Even though many other important elements of living have to be attended to, nothing is more important than your marriage. There are those moments in life when you need to give your full attention to your spouse. Here are a few of those most important times.

1. When you wake up in the morning

Let him or her know right off the bat at the beginning of your day that he is vitally important to you. Start with a kiss and a, “I’m the luckiest person in the world to be able to wake up next to you.” Then make the bed together. We didn’t say make out in the bed together, though there will be times for that. When you help each other make the bed it’s a beginning statement that you’re working together to make your home a pleasant place to be. The bedroom is a great place to start. It shows you care.

2. When you’re back together after a hard day’s work

Greet your honey with a loving embrace and another one of those kisses that says, “Oh, baby, do I ever love you!” It will feel like an electrical charge, giving you the energy to make the evening duties more enjoyable. Helping kids with homework, then putting them to bed will be much more meaningful when you’re carrying around the afterglow that comes from that memorable greeting.

3. When it’s your spouse’s birthday

Don’t you dare let that day slip by without some very special celebrating. Start the day with a, “Happy birthday, honey!” Don’t make your mate wonder if you remembered. Start early and make it fun all day. Birthdays are a great time to serve breakfast in bed. Going out to lunch with just the two of you can be fun, too. Include the kids with a dinner of his or her favorite food. If your spouse prefers pie to cake then load up the favorite pie – or whatever the preferred dessert is – with birthday candles, then sing out the traditional birthday wishes. Whatever you do, let your kids see you celebrating as a husband and wife. That’s how they’ll learn the right way to do it when they’re married.

4. When your spouse is “on stage.”

That means whenever your spouse is in the spotlight, so to speak. That can happen if he or she is playing a basketball game, running a marathon, giving a speech, or singing in a program. Any activity where she has prepared hard and needs your loving encouragement and applause. A friend of ours was performing in a community choir. She had worked hard learning the songs and was looking forward to having her husband at the performance. He became ill and couldn’t attend. She said, “I felt so let down to not have him in the audience. He’s been to all the other performances and it means more than anything to me to have him out there smiling and applauding.” Your spouse needs to know that you are proud of her. Don’t forget to say the words, “It was so fun to watch you tonight. I’m glad I could be there. I’m really proud of you.”

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