Essay Sample on Strained Matrimonial Relationships

The obligation to change behavior, habits, and established traditions.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Strained matrimonial relationships (Zolten & Long, 2006).

The change in the relationships is the most difficult one because marital strain may lead to serious circumstances. Fathers may feel jealous when mothers are occupied constantly with the baby. They may not participate in the process of child care or do not help with housekeeping. Moreover, it may be psychologically difficult for the fathers to adjust to profound changes. Expectant fathers have different senses of responsibility. They are unable to control their feelings and do not get used to the idea that the baby is the focus of their marriage now (Talbot & Watson, 1995).

It is significant to understand that when the baby appears in the family, the priorities of the parents should be changed. Fathers should meet the needs of their partners. Couples should have some time for themselves. That is why it is useful to divide responsibilities and to give the time for the partner to relax all alone or to enjoy personal time doing favorite activities. It is also recommended for the couple to spend the time together when the baby is sleeping. The best way to avoid conflicts is to share responsibilities. Each partner should make every effort to maintain stable relationships in the marriage.

In addition to the psychological problems, fathers may face changes in roles, schedules, and finances. Role changes are manifested in the desire of mothers not to leave their job. Thus, fathers are obliged to take care of their children and do the housework instead of earning money. A new baby requires not only physical aid but also money. So, the partner who is responsible for earnings should work hard to support the familys wellbeing. As for the schedule, it changes according to the babys day regimen. It may be difficult to sleep few hours and parents often feel exhausted due to the lack of sleep. New mothers, as well as fathers, should not ignore tiredness and use the time when the baby sleeps to have a rest.

Additional birth also affects greatly the family system because mothers take care for the newborn while fathers should keep a close eye on elder children who are in need of parental attention and care. There are a lot of things that present difficulties for new fathers. The most challenging ones are to be patient and to understand and support the partner during the transition to parenthood. Every parent should work on the marriage to make it solid and to resolve conflicts with the help of communication (Jordan, 2010).

All things considered, new fathers anticipate many changes but it is useful to keep in mind that mutual aid and understanding will keep the balance in the family and will help to avoid collisions between the partners.

References

Jordan, P. (2010). Enhancing Understanding of Transition to Fatherhood. IJCE, 22(2), p. 4-6. Retrieved from http://www.becomingparents.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Enhancing-Understanding-of-the-Transition-to-Fatherhood.pdf

Talbot, Y., & Watson, W. (1995). Transition to parenthood. What about fathers?. Canadian Family Physician, 41, 807. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2146614/?page=2

Zolten, K., & Long, N. (2006). Adjusting to Parenthood. Center For Effective Parenting, p. 1-3. Retrieved from http://www.parenting-ed.org/handouts/adjusting%20to%20parenthood.pdf