My husband and I are both only children, although we gave up being children ages ago. Still, the personality trait persists.
We are not prone to sharing, giving in, or collaborating. Instead we want our way and often don’t understand why others don’t see it as we do. At the same time, we’ve devised a system that works; and it’s called “Keeping Score.”
I have heard more than one sermon about marriage that says neither party should keep score. That each should give one hundred percent; that each should sacrifice for the other. I completely agree. But it’s easier to give that one hundred percent when you feel as if you’re getting the same in return. Hence, “Keeping Score.”
How does it work?
For instance, we go out to dinner – we call it “Date Night — once a week. But since Earl likes more casual dining and I like the white tablecloth approach, we take turns. One week we go where he wants; the other we dine with cloth napkins. It’s the same with other things too.
Recently, Earl decided we should watch television together. Now I am not as avid a viewer as he is, so this didn’t really appeal to me. Still, we decided to keep score. I would watch Saturday afternoon college football with him in return for his reading one night during the week with me.
This is a new routine; it’s not cast in stone yet. But I’ve already seen Notre Dame beat the University of Massachusetts last Saturday on the football field. Now it’s Earl’s turn to read. We’ll see where this goes.
Leave a Reply