My Spouse Doesn’t Appreciate Me

“My spouse does not appreciate all I do for them and our family.” 

 This may be a thought that you have struggled with throughout your marriage. Little do you know, your spouse may also feel that way.

When I try to tell my spouse how I feel, it becomes a competition.

You may be a stay at home parent taking care of the house and kids and spend most of the day taking care of everyone else. There may be barely enough time for you. You also may be feeling unappreciated for sacrificing your career to stay home and cook, clean, and raise your children.

OR

You may be a working parent. You may feel that it is your job to make sure all the bills are paid. And, you spend almost all of your time away from your family; jealous of the time your spouse has with them.  You too may be feeling unappreciated for the sacrifices you have made to make sure your family is taken care of.

Both of these scenarios can leave someone feeling unappreciated. It can also lead to an argument about whose role is more important. Or, who does more for the family. This can leave both of you feeling even more unappreciated. Bickering about who does more will only hurt your marriage.

What can we do to stop the bickering?

Bickering is a killer of marriage. Also, it impedes your ability to see yourselves as a team. If you are always trying to prove to the other that you do more, how does that make you a team?

It doesn’t.

It makes you opponents.

Later this week we will finish this mini-series and talk about what steps to take in feeling appreciated and making sure your spouse also feels appreciated. Also, we will talk how to go from feeling like opponents to becoming each others teammate once again.

If you and your spouse are struggling with bickering, contact us.