Michelle Obama and Barack Obama have been role models for many couples across the globe. From their inspiring love story to their act of treating each other as equal, their heartwarming relationship is a true example of equal marriage.
Recently, Michelle Obama spoke about those tough phases in marriage, when we are on verge of giving up on each other. While talking about how she and Barack Obama managed the tough patches in their married life, she gave us one of the most important marriage advice ever.
Being honest about the relationship, Michelle Obama shared how there have been times when she wanted to “push Barack out of the window” and that marriage should be approached like picking a basketball team.
In an episode of her Spotify podcast, the former first lady said young couples, especially when they have small children, struggle to deal with tiredness, stress, and sharing roles and they give up on their relationship.
“You’ve got to know that there are going to be times, long periods of time, when you can’t stand each other … I said it, you know, on the book tour, as a joke,” she said, in conversation with the television host Conan O’Brien.
“There were times that I wanted to push Barack out of the window, right. And I say that, because it’s like you’ve got to know the feelings will be intense. But that doesn’t mean you quit. And these periods can last a long time. They can last years.”
Because people do not talk about the difficult periods, she said often young couples want to give up when they face difficulties because “they think they’re broken”.
She added:
“I just want to say, look, if that breaks a marriage, then Barack and I have been broken off and on, throughout our marriage, but we have a very strong marriage. And if I had given up on it, if I had walked away from it, in those tough times, then I would’ve missed all the beauty, that was there as well.”
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On Picking Up Your Life Partner
If people went into marriage as if they were picking their basketball team she believes it would lead to “better marriages”.
“Because if you’re looking at a team, the people you want to win with, then number one you want everybody on your team to be strong … If we looked at marriage as a real team, you want your teammate to be a winner, then you want LeBron [James, the LA Lakers star].”
On Children Changing The Dynamic In Marriage
After having fertility issues, she said she was ready when they had Sasha and Malia. But that having children dramatically changed their dynamic.
“I would not trade them in, but whew, they can mess up a marriage.”
She said becoming a mother was the first time that she felt “the sting of gender roles” in their marriage.
“I had to be there, and I had to go, and it was my body, and my husband was still sort of hoppin’ around, living his life … the resentment starts to build up, or it started to, it’s like well, what happened to the unit, what happened to my best friend? What happened to my buddy, who’s, at the gym? It’s like, how the hell are you at the gym? You know, dude … I’ve got cabbage on my breast.”
Also Read: Michelle Obama Shares Why Women Should Marry Their Equal: The Best Marriage Advice Ever
Now that’s some great advice on how to handle and manage the difficult, stressful phases in married life!