Divorce is not something we talk about much here on NewlyWife. Sometimes, even though I’ve been married for a little over two years, I would like to think that we’re still in the “honeymoon phase.” I would love it if that phase lasted forever.

While flipping through my August edition of Real Simple I found an article called “10 Ways to Make Your Marriage Divorceproof.” It was written by two “happily wed comedians” Samantha Bee and Jason Jones, who are both correspondents for “The Daily Show.” While they are jokesters, there was a lot of interesting and good information.

Some tips include agreeing on how to clean a room (hmm, we still need to work on that):

“If you can compromise on the red hot-button subject of cleanliness, your marriage is unlikely to be thrown off course by comparatively less volatile topics, like politics, religion and money.”

Procrastinate:

“Yes, we know things need to be done, but seriously. … Have dessert in lieu of dinner. Watch old John Hughes movies. Hold hands. There, aren’t they smoother than how you remembered them?”

I was surprised to hear that they suggest imagining your spouse to be a small child when he/she irritates you — going for the adorable, angelic factor, I suppose, instead of the whiny, temper-tantrum throwing kind.

The most important one, I thought, was not fighting in public. In telling a story about a multi-couple picnic, one couple loudly fought in front of everyone.

“Cut to everyone else with their heads down, forensically examining their egg-salad sandwiches as though they contained the secrets of the human genome. You do not want to be That Couple Who Ruined the Otherwise Delightful Picnic.”

This last point reminds me of a tip I heard from a friend: try to build up your spouse when talking with others. Do this in earshot of your spouse. I’m not saying to brag endlessly, but it’s so easy to complain about a mistake your spouse made and that’s only going to hurt them and your relationship. It’s not a good habit to get into.

Overall, this 10 year strong couple gave some good points in a fun-to-read article. The tips were honest and practical, and seem to point out characteristics of a strong relationship.

I hope you’ll check the article out. If you had to give a “divorceproof” or “break-up proof” tip for keeping relationships strong, what advice would you give?