Facts You Didn’t Know About Premarital Cohabitation
Use this as a time to set goals
If arguments and issues come up around cohabitation, don’t panic: it’s a big adjustment, and some bumps in the road are to be expected. Matthews says this is a good opportunity for a couple to “Get organized and establish short-term and long-term goals for the relationship.” She adds, “They can also begin premarital counseling as a proactive approach to prepare for marriage.” Some may think of couples counseling as only for those who are having major issues, like already married couples dealing with infidelity. But premarital counseling can actually help a couple develop conflict management skills to get ahead of problems, as well as discuss major decisions. Unfortunately, couples who live together before marriage are more likely to have unplanned pregnancies than couples who wait to marry to live together. Discussing stuff like parenthood is just one of the things you might expect from couples’ counseling. We go over more of what to expect from it here.