True story - I was at a bbq yesterday and when the rain and wind picked up in the early evening, the women (including my girlfriend) headed in the house, while a bunch of us guys hung out in the garage drinking beers & waiting for a couple chickens cooking on my friend's rotisserie grill.
One guy, a friend of a friend, is complaining about his wife. He's been married two years or so and they have a one year old. He says: "Don't ever get married!" He tells me all sorts of things I already knew about his wife from meeting her at get-togethers over the years (I never liked her). All the while I thought this guy was a saint for putting up with this controlling b!t@h. He said they went to see a marriage counselor recently, and his wife got into an argument with the counselor - she b!t@hed him out and they left!
Then it hit me, the guy sitting next to him is his brother-in-law - I say: "This is his sister you're talking about?!?!" The wife's brother says he agrees with everything that was said: "Don't ever get married! ALL women are b!t@hes, including my sister!" I was cracking up! They went on and on.
An hour goes by, and my girlfriend comes out to the garage. She can't stand it inside - all the women are b!t@hing about their husbands and telling her: "Don't ever get married!" This is priceless!
A few minutes later, this guy's wife pulls their car into the driveway. She's packed up and ready to go, and she calls his cellphone to say "Let's go. We're leaving NOW!" Before he leaves, I let him know that his wife gave my girlfriend the exact same advice he gave me. He smiles and says: "20 years in prison for murder would be easier than staying married to this woman any longer."
I don't understand how the guy didn't see this coming years ago. I saw it, and I hardly knew them. The three guys all seemed to have the same problem - a wife that thought that once they were married, she'd be able to change her husband! They would put an end to their husbands drinking beer in the garage while waiting for the chicken to be done; no more poker nights with the boys; no more dirty laundry on the bedroom floor; etc., etc.
What I walked away from it with is this: "Don't marry the WRONG person!" and "Don't ever EXPECT the other person to change for you!" It's too bad that the three couples from this story all have kids, because these kids are the ones that will suffer most if their parents can't accept each other for what they are.
Congratulations on your marriage, and good luck to you both!