Relationship Advice – What makes a great relationship?

Alicia Keys recently gave her own relationship advice by saying that ‘equality' was the most important word when it comes to the success of her relationship. In divorce cases, where two parents are fighting for custody of their child, the law approaches the couple with the presumptions of equality too; a 50/ 50 split or joint custody is the starting point and this presumption is then influenced by the behavior of the parents and their relationship with the child. So relationships can be defined in terms of equality.

But how can we achieve an equal relationship when the roles of couples change when they become parents and new demands are placed upon them by their child and by each other? And what relationship advice can be given to couples to maintain equality.? From the moment of conception couples roles are re-defined in terms of the child.

Women become mothers; they carry and feed the baby in the first months of life. Men become fathers and are more supportive of the mother and baby in the first months of life. The transition to parenthood is a notoriously difficult time for parents and is further complicated by our presumptions of equality. So which qualities determine whether a relationship is equal? Perhaps we can begin to understand if we look at the parents' relationship from the child's point of view.

Stages of a Relationship for you and your partner