The 7 year itch.. ?

Could this be a real thing? It is quite interesting that this saying is so common.

My husband and I will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary next month so I find myself thinking about this common phrase and pondering its familiarity to our culture.

I have been asked “do you have the 7 year itch?” To which I simply replied “…no.” …Should I? Is that normal?..

I believe that we give these phrases life by acting as if they are a regular and reasonable explanation for our lack of effort.

Not that marriage doesn’t have it’s challenges, it is difficult to be “one” when you are definitely two people.

That being said, if your 7th Anniversary rolls around and you somehow have an “itch” for change, that change shouldn’t be aimed at separation, it should be aimed at lifestyle. Something that you can change or work towards together. Maybe a dream to go after!

If you want more or different, look no further than yourself. How can you be a better partner to your spouse?

No relationship is perfect all the time, most aren’t even great all the time! My goal is to have a good marriage with great moments. We argue and that is to be expected. The important thing is to never be too proud to apologize. It’s easy to stay angry, do the difficult thing and be vulnerable to your partner. Sincerely.

I have overeacted about things because of my frustration in a single moment, and it can build up making things worse. Why do that to myself? I have personaly told myself to let it go…. (that Elsa is one smart princess). No anger is worth the heartache. I calm down and return to apologize…. boy has this helped! Don’t get me wrong… I still struggle with this, but I am continually improving. 😊

Anger can build up and explode and I feel that happening less and less each year. Just by working on myself saying sorry. So easy, yet so difficult at the same time!

One thing I have learned, I never regret an apology.. It frees me.

I feel more secure with each passing anniversary. We don’t have some big celebration each year either. Sure, celebrating big is fun, but not necessary every time. Plus, I try not to compare our anniversaries to anyone else’s because that isn’t our love story and a big night out doesn’t prove anything.

A big celebration doesn’t make our marriage stronger or more successful, it’s the everyday moments that make our anniversary worth anything. So we can’t expect each anniversary to be grande for our marriage to be great! Its the little I’m sorry‘s and time spent together that keeps us strong because marriage is a challenge, and I love a good challenge. 😏

So to myself and all of you, Focus less on what makes ourselves happy, and more on what makes your spouse happy. Find something to work towards together. We used acroyoga to challenge us and grow stronger together. Physically and emotionally. By stepping outside of our comfort zone and doing something difficult, We grew. We gave eachother time.

There are a couple of sayings that come to mind….

“Give if you hope to receive.”

Or

“You get out what you put in.”

It’s so true.

Our 7th year of marriage has been life changing. We welcomed our 4th baby, our first son. Our dreams have given us motivation to grow stronger, together. An itch to scratch at I should say. 😉

So, to this idea of the 7 year itch.. I think I choose not to believe it. Well… I don’t feel itchy. I feel happy and hopeful.

❤-Mama Katie

☆ “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” -Romans 12:10

》》》 For more on how we used Acroyoga to challenge us, check out the previous blog post! 👇 https://sayhello.mom/2018/08/20/the-absolute-best-couple-workout-and-how-i-persuaded-my-husband-to-try/