Over the past four years, doctor-turned-actress Maricar Reyes has learned a lot about marriage. She tied the knot with crooner Richard Poon in 2013, and since then she and her husband have been open about their life together, which they regularly chronicle on their blog, Relationship Matters. Here are just some of the lessons we can learn from Maricar when it comes to being a good wife.
Raising your voice is not the answer
“Don’t raise your voice, even if you’re correct,” continues Maricar, who co-wrote a book with her husband entitled 10 Things We Fight About. “If you feel you’re right, you feel you have the right to say it in whatever way you want.”
Being a mom is not a race
“Kaya ako nag-lie low ng konti kasi the doctor advised me to take rest so that I’d be healthy. Yun muna plano for now,” she told PEP in an interview in 2016. Though she is not a mom yet, she remains patient and in the meantime, is busying herself with work; she recently made her TV comeback in the TV fantasy series La Luna Sangre.
Maintain your financial independence
Though she acknowledges the importance of having a joint savings account with one’s spouse, Maricar believes women should maintain their financial independence even in marriage. This helps prevent unhealthy dependence, or being obligated to stay with your husband because he controls every aspect of life.
Cultivate a deep admiration from your spouse
In a post on their blog called Relationship Matters, Maricar opens up about the importance of not being pressured to have a “perfect relationship.”
“Thankfully, we are still sweet until today,” writes Maricar. “Among other things, I think it’s because — bilib na bilib ako sa kanya, and baliw na baliw siya sa akin. (I admire him so much, and he is crazy about me.)”
Never stop learning from your spouse
Though they fight at times, Maricar knows in her heart that she can always learn something “wise and practical” from her husband.
“I cannot tell you enough about how much I admire who Richard is and the direction he wants to take our family,” writes Maricar in her blog. “I love that he is so much better than me in the areas I want to improve on (attention to detail, long term planning, creativity, problem solving, etc.). And I know I will get better just by being with him.”
READ: Maricar Reyes on fighting with husband Richard Poon: ‘Don’t raise your voice, even if you’re correct’
