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Is it normal for a married person to believe they know more about relationships than someone who has not been married yet? Why does marriage make them such an expert on getting along with a partner? Why don't common law couples receive the same social respect that married people do?
I tend to get this impression from people who have been through divorce or ugly breakups. Or maybe they are more vocal about it?
As a married woman, I know very little about relationships in general. I only really know mine, and it works well for me. And what works for my husband and I is likely to drive other people insane. Although we do receive more validation as a couple since we got married, however I don’t think either of us feel like that piece of paper made us experts in anything. Except, maybe, at throwing a party.
Hey, look, someone who seems to know what common law is, it's a MIRACLE!! :'D
I have often wondered the same thing. And it doesn't matter how long these types have been married, they still think they know more. I remember when my brother had only been married for about a year, he tried to give me unsolicited relationship advice, even though my then-boyfriend (now my husband) and I had been together for longer than my brother and his wife.
IMO, being committed to and living with someone for several years does give someone a certain expertise in relationships, but there's no reason why a person must be married in order to gain this experience. Common law couples are equally likely to be relationship experts. Maybe their experience isn't respected as much because legal marriages are viewed as being more permanent, although with divorce this is often not the case. Over time, as more and more people choose cohabitation over legal marriage, maybe common law couples will receive more social respect.
Married people know more about relationships between two people who are married, simply because they ARE married. Experience is the best teacher.
Eh, considering that I have had more relationship experience than most of my friends AND I am married, I try to back off the whole advice-giving thing because relationships are all very unique and I know this from my experience. You can't go about them all the same way.
However, I'll give advice in the context of a conversation. You never know what people will get pissed off at though "she just listened and didn't say anything, she couldn't tell me ANYTHING!?" "she gave me advice I didn't as for, what a bitch" or however people think.
So no, I can't say that's true. I've even known people who were unmarried who hand out advice which is funnier when their relationship sucks.
People say stupid things all the time. I once heard a girl at work say to her coworker friends, if you haven't been married or been in a relationship you have no right to talk about it or give advice.
Now unless someone is a total ogre or had a bad life, I'm pretty certain 99% of people have been in at least one relationship. I'm just glad I wasn't part of that idiotic conversation that some girls tend to have.