But when it seems more and more like one person is giving ground every time, and the other scoring points over them, it is time to re-evaluate the situation. When one partner progresses and the other is exactly the same as they were 5, 10, 15 years ago, then something needs to be sorted.

All relationships are compromises. But it comes to a point, if you have done nothing but compromise and the other doesn't appear to have done anything, then something will blow. Hopefully it's just an argument, tears, recriminations and reconsilliation, sometimes it isn't.

You have to realise that no matter how long you've been together, it is always within you to surprise the other. As soon as you stop respecting each other, giving each other that privacy and space we all need, then you might as well start packing.

Regretably, there are people in the world who love each other dearly, would do anything for the other but who just would kill each other if they had to live together for longer than 3 days. There are ways round it but it involves a sort of 'Steptoe and Son' division of the house into territories and neutral zones.

LTS