marriage advice

This article by AnnaMarie Houlis first appeared on Fairygodboss and has been republished with permission.

More than 90 percent of the population marries by age 50, according to the American Psychological Association. But just because people get married, doesn't mean they really understand marriage.

We asked women who've been married for at least a decade to share what they've learned about marriage. According to them, you don't truly get marriage until you've been married this long. Here's what there is to grasp...

In a marriage, should you really feel lonely that much of the time? And if so, then how lonely is too lonely?

Marriage isn’t a game. But playing one can actually help strengthen it. So, game on!

Of course, attention is key to maintaining a healthy relationship, but if relationship drama is starting to play out like a bad reality show, it’s time to start acknowledging negative behavior.

So, here I am. Two kids, married to a trustworthy, kind, provider who is married to his job. Is it time to leave my husband?

We don't say divorce! I guess, to us, the word “divorce” was that thing we dare not speak of — our Voldermort. It’s not a word to be taken lightly.

That giddy feeling you felt during the infancy of the relationship goes away. It can be replaced by either a deep bond, or apathy.

I’m afraid I’m going to lose my wife to AA. My wife and I are both in our mid 30s and we’ve been married for six years, together for nine. When we met, we both drank socially, or I thought we did. I started noticing after we got married that her drinking increased.