Effects of Children Essay

Children have a big impact on a relationship and the communication between two parents. Adding children into any relationship takes change and communication on both ends. It can be harder depending on the different relationship situations. Children change not only your personal relationship but also the relationships you have with friends and family. I asked three different parents that I know the same three questions. The questions were: 1. What change was least expected after your baby was born? 2. How did communication with your partner and others change after having a baby? . How did having a child affect your marriage or relationship? Each of the answers I received was similar. All of the parents expressed that their lives and relationships changed a lot after having children. Their relationship with friends and with their partner became a challenge. Two out of the three said they expected the challenges while one said she didn’t expect so many issues to arise with her partner. A big issue that was mentioned by all three was the fact that the time between them and their partner was cut down drastically. That became a relationship breaker for one. She chose her daughters needs over the needs of her relationship. The communication patterns described by the parents did not follow the Guidelines for Effective Communication in Families. They differed because the communication and equity was not followed. One parent chose her time and energy needed to be focused on her child and put her relationship on hold. This in the end broke up her relationship. The other two followed the guidelines to an extent but not completely. Communication is tampered no matter what way you look at it. Men and woman look at parenthood different and that may be the main reason why children have such an effect on relationships. Communication is key in any relationship. There has to be a level of understanding and respect from both ends to balance any kind of friendship or intimate relationship. Children can change a lot of things in our lives. If two people are not on the same page in a relationship or about the choices that have to made with children it can ruin the relationship all together.