Manipulation in marriage – a necessity or a no-no?

Manipulation in marriage – a necessity or a no-no?

By the title of this post, I know what your initial thoughts might be. You are probably thinking, “if you have to use manipulation tactics in a marriage, then you probably shouldn’t be married or even still with your partner.”

Hear me out though. I am not referring to major manipulation like gaslighting,  (in no way shape or form is that ever ok). I am talking about minor manipulation in the sense of persuading one another that your point of view or your idea is the correct one.

If you are a woman reading this, think about it – you may not realise it, but you might already be manipulating your partner by using your feminine wiles.  Let’s face it, if you are one of the lucky women who have this ability – men stand no chance. Sometimes it just has to be done to get your own way (as you are more often than not right).

That being said – it’s only fair men get a say too, nobody likes to feel totally dominated and most relationships have their subtle power dynamics that are constantly changing.

You might be in a different relationship though, one where your partner never says no before saying yes (if so – lucky you!) One where you are still in the honeymoon phase and blissfully unaware of issues the real world might throw at you.

Once you get past that initial phase (when you start to commit and do things like buying a house, getting married and having children), that is when your feminine wiles might come in handy.

By now you might be asking yourself “how much manipulation is going on between me and my partner? Or even in other parts of my life like with me and my mother/mother-in-law?

The long and short of it is – as long as you or your partner never feel dominated or that the relationship is a “one-way street”, a little minor manipulation is never a bad thing. At the end of the day, with (some) men, that is the only way we can communicate with them.