Warning: This Relationship Comes With a 3 Year Warranty

Yep...I have noticed that s*it rolls down hill after a year or two. I haven't noticed any particular time of year or moon alignment but my past relationships have never worked out. I would stay and think it would change but hey at least I had one good year for the next 10 bad ones. Hopefully that has all changed now- I'm pretty positive that it has. But only time will tell.

We've been together for a little over a year and a half. We have our ups and down and have dealt with some issues. I belive its only strengthened our relationship. I wouldnt say we're in our honeymoon phase any more. I dont really know.. maybe we are, we still get along for the most part. I cant imagine not having him in my life when I look into the future, so I pray we pass that 3 year mark with ease!

i had experienced all the different stages in married life...honeymoon period,7 years itch/or adjustments or whatever(includes the midlife crisis)..but i guess what binds the couple is the love and commitment to each other no matter what happens..ive been married for 27 years and im 46 yrs old...and i dont believe that relationships should be based on the alignment sort of thing of the milkyways...it takes two to make relationships go or prosper..

Every relationship you ever get into is going to have that "warranty" or early expiration date if you don't do the work you need to do to keep the relationship healthy and strong, and if you keep letting yourself get waylaid by really minor annoyances. Speaking from what has failed for me, it seems to me that if you want a relationship to succeed, the foundation of that involves three factors. One, you have to communicate with your partner. If you want something, ask for it; if you don't like something, and I mean you would fly off the handle if you got it anyway, tell your partner ahead of time--they can't read your mind. Never, EVER expect them to read your mind. Two, you have to set boundaries. Know what you absolutely cannot live with and don't settle for anything that crosses that line. Three, get a thicker skin. Having to put up with petty annoyances is part of every human relationship, including dealing with parents and having children (whether or not you personally want any, lots of people do). If you let yourself go slugnutty over every little thing, your relationships will never work out. On the other hand, learn to tell the difference between something being a petty annoyance, and something being a symptom of a larger problem. Like as not, if it's a symptom of a larger problem, the larger problem is a lack of boundaries or a lack of communication. A relationship is less a thing than it is something you *do.* You can't just stop doing anything and coast on it and expect it to go well. Also do not expect the twitterpation you feel when a relationship starts to last forever--like relationships, love is something you do, not something you have. And this is stuff I've learned from doing the exact opposite of what I have suggested here, for what it's worth. I like to think I will be better prepared next time around, though. Everything I've read by people who were in relationships that worked tells me I'm on the right track, though.

My pattern for meeting people was in the summer and breaking up with them in November...so I know what you mean about the seasons, lol. A warranty is a good analagy - i hope my hubby & I have a lifetime one :)

This discussion I find very humerous! (In a good way.) Maybe, subconciously you have some kind of mental clock that counts down how much you can take. Obviously you weren't meant to be together in the first place but maybe, just maybe, you give yourself that time period to tolerate it to see if it might just work out anyway. Haha. All of this subconciously of course because obviously you don't do it on purpose. Or, it may just be a coincidence if you don't feel that that is right. I mean I don't exactly know what your relationships were like but it seems like you just might have put up with it for a certain period of time. Just my opinion!! The right one will come.. I think!