Okay..let’s get real for a moment. How many of you tell your partner how to drive? Don’t even say that you haven’t at least once. So how many of you have received a reaction that you weren’t expecting? Geez, why are they so angry? You were just pointing out what the speed limit is so that they won’t get a ticket…right? LOL! You should be laughing right now. This is one of those conversations that couples don’t really talk too much about. Why? Because couples usually don’t see this as a problem that needs to be solved. If you want to see what the state of your relationship is then go for a drive in rush hour traffic together. See how well you communicate with each other then.
So many times, we forget that sometimes we need to let the other person take the wheel and trust that they are doing the best they can. This is not an easy task. Placing your trust in someone else means that you have to let go of control. Read that again. What happens when you think that you know what is best and decide to put your opinion in the mix is not helpful.
Accidents happen and so do tickets. I have a friend that was in the car with her husband and two children. The kids were arguing which was stressful enough. My friend kept telling her husband how to drive. She told him that he was going too fast. She told him to slow down because the light was yellow. She told him that there was a stop sign coming up. She yelled at him because she thought he was too close to the car in front of him. That did it! He turned away from the road to yell at the kids to stop arguing then turned to yell at his wife about her telling him how to drive and BAM! He hit the car in front of him. Everyone was okay. She spent some time telling me about how he was at fault because he was such a bad driver. After talking with her for a few more minutes she revealed all that had taken place. I simply asked her what she thought would have happened if she had quieted the children and trusted him to get theri family where they needed to go. I then asked her what she thought she should do about it. She and her husband say that she has never again told him how to drive.
In a relationship you must accept that you are a partnership of trust. There has to be an understanding that you are on the same bus. When you feel the need to tell your partner how to drive ask yourself; Do I tell the pilot how to fly the plane? Do I tell a bus driver how to drive? Would I tell the surgeon how to do surgery? Then why would you think that it is okay to tell your partner how to drive?
Many Blessings!
Kari Petruch
The Relationship Reingniter
Text JOY to 26786 for more information!
