This might be a bit controversial but bear with me.

Throughout life we are told we need to take responsibility for ourselves, our choices, our actions, our behaviour and so on.

So why is it, when there are problems in our relationships we are quick to apportion blame to our partner and stop taking responsibility?

No matter what is going wrong in your relationship, some of the reason for the issues will lie with you – there are after all 2 people in a relationship.

“How can you say that Deb, if someone is in an abusive relationship?”

Well, whilst I’m in no way saying anyone is responsible for being the victim of abuse, and we cannot be held responsible for the behaviour or actions of another, we are responsible for our choices.

Having had 3 abusive relationships I know I did not deserve to be abused however, I take responsibility by acknowledging I CHOSE to enter into those relationships, I CHOSE to stay in those relationships, I CHOSE to ignore the warning signs before and during those relationships, I CHOSE to allow the behaviour to continue without being challenged.

Likewise, when I had a partner who cheated on me, I acknowledged responsibility too  – at the time I was more preoccupied with other things going in my life and not giving him the attention he wanted. We often take our partners for-granted and when I looked back I could see where things had gone off track.

This in no way condones any of the behaviour of my ex partners but it recognises that there were two of us in the relationship, each reacting to the other in one way or another, each believing that their reaction/behaviour is correct and acceptable so continuing to behave in the same way.  It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.

Most of our behaviour is learned from family and those around us, we have rules we live by on a day to day basis but in our own homes there is no-one, other than our partner, to challenge our behaviour.  If poor behaviour goes unchallenged it becomes normalised and accepted, regardless whether the behaviour is actually acceptable.

What behaviour are you allowing to go unchallenged in your relationship at the moment?

What behaviour are you exhibiting that you could change to make an improvement to how you perceive your relationship?