We’re on to Day 4 with Anne and Ethan. So far, they’ve found that this experience has really given them confidence in their relationship—they’ve realized that for the most part they are a pretty functional couple. They did express their hesitancy in sharing some details about their sex life with the minister. They decided to keep that under wraps to spare the old guy a heart-attack. Read the questions from day one, two, and three if you just joined us!
7. Does my fiancé not treat me with the respect that I deserve?
Anne: Overall, Ethan treats me with great respect. However, sometimes I feel like he doesn’t give me 100% of his attention when I have important things to discuss with him, such as details of our upcoming wedding plans. I mean, I know that he’s not staying up nights wondering what our floral colors will be and whether my bridesmaids will wear sage or celadon green, but these things are on my mind and I need him to listen attentively when we discuss the wedding. Generally though, I feel that he really respects me and recognizes that I am a driven and intelligent woman. Sometimes I think that he believes those things more than I do, which is really reassuring.
Ethan: Anne treats everyone with respect unless she’s driving, which I think I mentioned in an answer to one of the earlier questions. She will give the same undivided attention to a homeless person that she would to her congressman, and assume that each deserved equal consideration from her. I’ve seen her hold a conversation with a two-year-old child and act as if he’s explaining the laws of physics when in fact he was probably discussing the merits of eating spaghetti without using utensils. I think this is why she was such a great preschool teacher, and will be a wonderful mom someday. However, when she’s in the car all bets are off – she’s like a New York cabbie with road rage! And in case you can’t read lips after you cut her off, or fail to get out of her way in a timely manner, she knows more “universal sign language” than you would believe.
8. Is my fiancé overly dependent on me or on others for money?
Anne: Since Ethan has had a real, grown-up job for eons, he really has it together financially. I, on the other hand, have done my share of bouncing around and bouncing checks. I’ve been known to live on Top Ramen and saltines until my cash flow was renewed, however small. It’s not that I’ve spent a lot of time bumming around, it’s just that my prior jobs have not exactly been high paying. So if anything I am dependent on Ethan to foot the bill if he wants to do something luxurious like eat a meal out at a restaurant which doesn’t feature a drive-through; but I don’t think he minds being my sugar daddy from time to time. I contribute what I can and I work hard, which he appreciates.
Ethan: I guess it’s true that because I make more for a living than Anne does, she is somewhat dependent on me to pick up the slack financially – but not overly so. She would be perfectly happy if we lived a simpler life and pared down our expenses more, so that we both contributed equally to our expenditures. Also, I secretly kind of like playing the role of the provider – I’m kind of old fashioned that way -- even though it’s no secret that Anne wears the pants in this relationship most of the time. I don’t think that couples need to be financial equals in order to have a successful relationship; if each brings to the table what they are able to, and they share the same financial priorities, it can work out just fine.
Leave a comment