Live happily ever after – does it exist?
Spend the rest of one’s life in happiness, as in a romantic novel the hero and heroine end marrying then live happily ever after. This hyperbolic phrase ends many fairy tales, but does it work in today’s world?
Are you working towards a Happily Ever After…? Are you a good partner? Are you investing your time and effort in your relationship to make it work on all counts? How would you rate yourself as a partner?
Find out how good a partner you are with the following happily ever after quiz…
Ask yourself these questions and tick the answer that best suits you:
1. Do you forget to say ‘thank you’ to your partner when he/she does something nice for you?
- Yes
- No
2. Do you have trouble making time to listen to your partner even when you know there is something bothering him/her?
- Yes
- No
3. Are you prone to text or call your partner repeatedly, if he/she does not respond to you?
- Yes
- No
4. Do you get upset and angry when your partner wants to hang out with his/her friends or family?
- Yes
- No
5. If you are frustrated, do you use your partner as a scapegoat and take it all out on him/her?
- Yes
- No
6. Do you take pleasure in teasing your partner about things that he/she is insecure about?
- Yes
- No
7. Do you dictate to your partner who he/she can/cannot hang out with?
- Yes
- No
8. Do you expect your partner to ask your permission before joining a club or an activity? Yes o No
- Yes
- No
9. Do you crosscheck and counter crosscheck with your partner to make sure he/she was not lying about attending a party/event?
- Yes
- No
10. Do you accuse your partner of cheating on you, even when there is no reason to doubt him/her?
- Yes
- No
11. Do you find fault with your partner’s figure or appearance?
- Yes
- No
12. Do you read your partner’s texts or check his/her emails and even social media accounts, without his/ her knowledge?
- Yes
- No
13. Do you make your partner feel guilty about the things he/she has no control over?
- Yes
- No
14. Do you, sometimes, say things to your partner even when you know it is hurtful to him/her?
- Yes
- No
15. Do you talk down to your partner or find ways to embarrass him/her in front of others?
- Yes
- No
16. Do you go about throwing things around the house or slap/hit your partner when you are angry?
- Yes
- No
Your score
Give the following points to every ‘no’ answer that you ticked:
1. Give 1 point each for questions 1 to 5
2. Give 3 points each for questions 6 to 10
3. Give 5 points each for questions 11 to 14
4. Give 15 points each for questions 15 and 16
Add up all your scores and see where you fit in.
15 or more: Right, you are a good partner. You are aware of the consequences pegged on to actions and are always respectful of your partner’s thoughts and feelings. You are working to make your relationship work.
6 to 14: You and your partner have your occasional differences, but then nobody is perfect. You need to pay attention to the issues that are affecting the relationship and things can be easily smoothened up.
1 to 5: You need to iron out things and understand that some actions are not aligning right in your partnership. You may not be overtly abusive in your behaviour, but there is no saying when it could worsen if you do not get a hold on it. Have a control on your emotions and do not indulge in words/acts that will hurt him/her.
0: Whether you realise it or not, some of your actions are definitely abusive. These very acts will cause damage to your relationship unless you wake up, press the pause button to analyse and assess your actions. Becoming aware of your behaviour is the first step. Follow that up by taking responsibility for it and seek ways to rectify it.
(Disclaimer: This is a generic quiz, intended solely to highlight some of the negative behaviours that could affect a relationship.)
So, are you in a happily-ever-after relationship?