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Here’s What’s Streaming On Netflix And HBO Max This October
It is now autumn, which means most people will be staying in more and going out less. And what better way to stay home than to stream new series/ movies or binge old favorites? This October, Netflix and HBO Max have everything you need to binge-watch the right way. From Yvonne Orji’s HBO comedy special A Whole Me to the highly-anticipated third season of Netflix’s Love Is Blind, October’s got you covered.
So grab your blanket and check out all that’s new and exciting on Netflix and HBO Max this month.
What’s New on Netflix: October 2022
October 1
17 Again
30 Minutes or Less
60 Days In, season 3
Any Given Sunday
Barbie: It Takes Two, season 2
Call Me by Your Name
Charlotte’s Web (2006)
Chocolat
City Slickers
The Color Purple
Gladiator
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
I Love You, Man
Labyrinth
Land of the Lost
Last Seen Alive
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
National Lampoon’s European Vacation
National Lampoon’s Vacation
Ocean’s Eleven
Ocean’s Thirteen
Ocean’s Twelve
Point Break (1991)
Risky Business
Robin Hood
Runaway Bride
Rush Hour
Rush Hour 2
Rush Hour 3
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Sex and the City 2
Sex and the City: The Movie
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie
Vegas Vacation
Walking Tall
Wedding Crashers
Yes Man
October 2
Forever Queens — Netflix Series
October 3
Chip and Potato, season 4 — Netflix Family
Jexi
October 4
Hasan Minhaj: The King’s Jester — Netflix Comedy
October 5
Bling Empire, season 3 — Netflix Series
High Water — Netflix Series
Jumping From High Places — Netflix Film
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone — Netflix Film
Nailed It!, season 7 — Netflix Series
The Fight for Justice: Paolo Guerrero — Netflix Series
The Trapped 13: How We Survived the Thai Cave — Netflix Documentary
Togo — Netflix Film
October 6
Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake — Netflix Documentary
The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo — Netflix Documentary
October 7
Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes — Netflix Documentary
Derry Girls, season 3 — Netflix Series
Doll House — Netflix Film
Glitch — Netflix Series
Kev Adams: The Real Me — Netflix Comedy
Luckiest Girl Alive — Netflix Film
Man on Pause — Netflix Series
The Midnight Club — Netflix Series
The Mole — Netflix Series
Oddballs — Netflix Family
Old People — Netflix Film
The Redeem Team — Netflix Documentary
Tiger & Bunny 2, Part 2 — Netflix Anime
October 9
Missing Link
October 10
LEGO Ninjago, season 4
Crystallized, part 2
Spirit Rangers — Netflix Family
October 11
The Cage — Netflix Series
DEAW#13 Udom Taephanich Stand-up Comedy Show — Netflix Comedy
Iliza Shlesinger: Hot Forever — Netflix Comedy
Island of the Sea Wolves — Netflix Documentary
October 12
Belascoarán, PI — Netflix Series
Blackout
Easy-Bake Battle — Netflix Series
The Nutty Boy — Netflix Family
Wild Croc Territory — Netflix Series
October 13
Dead End: Paranormal Park, season 2 — Netflix Family
Exception — Netflix Anime
The Playlist — Netflix Series
The Sinner, season 4: Percy
Someone Borrowed — Netflix Film
Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal — Netflix Series
October 14
Black Butterflies — Netflix Series
The Curse of Bridge Hollow — Netflix Film
Everything Calls for Salvation — Netflix Series
Holy Family — Netflix Series
Mismatched, season 2 — Netflix Series
Take 1 — Netflix Series
October 15
Blippi’s Spooky Spell Halloween
Under the Queen’s Umbrella — Netflix Series
October 16
Dracula Untold
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
October 17
Waffles + Mochi’s Restaurant — Netflix Family
October 18
Gabriel Iglesias: Stadium Fluffy Live From Los Angeles — Netflix Comedy
LiSA Another Great Day — Netflix Documentary
Somebody Feed Phil, season 6 — Netflix Series
Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 3 — Netflix Series (new episodes weekly)
October 19
The Green Glove Gang — Netflix Series
Love Is Blind, season 3 — Netflix Series (new episodes weekly)
Notre-Dame — Netflix Series
The School for Good and Evil — Netflix Film
The Stranger — Netflix Film
October 21
28 Days Haunted — Netflix Series
Barbarians II — Netflix Series
Descendant — Netflix Documentary
From Scratch — Netflix Series
High: Confession of an Ibiza Drug Mule — Netflix Series
Oni: Thunder God’s Tale — Netflix Family
Pokémon Ultimate Journeys — Netflix Family
October 22
LOL Surprise! Winter Fashion Show
October 23
Franco Escamilla: Eavesdropping — Netflix Comedy
October 24
The Chalk Line — Netflix Film
October 25
Barbie Epic Road Trip — Netflix Family
Blade of the 47 Ronin
Fortune Feimster: Good Fortune — Netflix Comedy
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities — Netflix Series
October 26
Fugitive: The Curious Case of Carlos Ghosn — Netflix Documentary
The Good Nurse — Netflix Film
Hellhole — Netflix Film
Robbing Mussolini — Netflix Film
October 27
Cici — Netflix Film
Daniel Spellbound — Netflix Family
Dubai Bling — Netflix Series
Earthstorm — Netflix Documentary
Family Reunion: Part 5 — Netflix Family
Hotel Transylvania 2
Romantic Killer — Netflix Anime
October 28
All Quiet on the Western Front — Netflix Film
The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself — Netflix Series
Big Mouth, season 6 — Netflix Series
Drink Masters — Netflix Series
I Am a Stalker — Netflix Documentary
If Only — Netflix Series
My Encounter With Evil — Netflix Documentary
Wendell & Wild — Netflix Film
Wild is the Wind — Netflix Film
October 29
Deadwind, season 3 — Netflix Series
What’s new on HBO Max: October 2022
October 1
Æon Flux, 2005 (HBO)
Along Came A Spider, 2001 (HBO)
Bad News Bears, 2005 (HBO)
Bad Teacher, 2011
Before I Fall, 2017 (HBO)
Before Mickey Mouse: A History of American Animation
Black Nativity, 2013 (Director's Cut) (HBO)
Blackthorn, 2011 (HBO)
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, 1969
C.R.A.Z.Y., 2005
Call Me By Your Name, 2017
Century of Animation Showcase: 1922, 2022
Charlie St. Cloud, 2010 (HBO)
Christmas in Connecticut, 1945
Coneheads, 1993 (HBO)
Disclosure, 1994 (HBO)
District 9, 2009 (HBO)
Down Terrace, 2009 (HBO)
Dude Where's My Car?, 2000 (HBO)
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire), 2020
Fair Game, 2010 (HBO)
Federico Fellini's Intervista, 1987
Frank, 2014 (HBO)
Freedomland, 2006 (HBO)
Grand Piano, 2013 (HBO)
Hoosiers, 1986 (HBO)
Hot Summer Nights, 2017 (HBO)
Hotel Mumbai, 2018 (HBO)
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, 1988 (HBO)
Jumper, 2008 (HBO)
Juno, 2007 (HBO)
Kiss The Girls, 1997
La ronde, 1950
Let's Be Cops, 2014
Little Women, 1933
Luci del Varieta, 1950
Max Steiner: Maestro of Movie Music, 2019
Meet the Spartans, 2008 (Extended Version) (HBO)
Miracle in Milan, 1951
My Best Friend's Girl, 2008 (Extended Version) (HBO)
Navy Seals, 1990 (HBO)
Nightcrawler, 2014 (HBO)
No Place on Earth, 2012 (HBO)
Nothing But Trouble,1991 (HBO)
Oliver!, 1968
Open Season 2, 2008
Open Season, 2006
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, 2016 (HBO)
Promised Land, 2012 (HBO)
Rock Dog, 2016 (HBO)
Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob!
S.W.A.T. (Movie), 2003
Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, 2012 (HBO)
Slacker, 1990
Spotlight, 2015 (HBO)
Terms of Endearment, 1983 (HBO)
The Adventures of Pinocchio, 1996
The American President, 1995
The Bad News Bears, 1976 (HBO)
The Bad News Bears Go To Japan, 1978 (HBO)
The Bad News Bears In Breaking Training, 1977 (HBO)
The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957
The Eye, 2008 (HBO)
The Haunting In Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia , 2013
The Perfect Host, 2010 (HBO)
The Perfect Storm, 2000
The Swimming Pool, 1969
The Two Faces of January, 2014
The Witch, 2015 (HBO)
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, 2012 (HBO)
To The Wonder, 2012
Twisted, 2004 (HBO)
Waist Deep, 2006 (HBO)
Whose Line is It Anyway?, Season 9
Yvonne Orji: A Whole Me, Special Premiere (HBO)
October 2
101 Places to Party Before You Die, Season 1
Housing Complex C
October 5
Eraser: Reborn, 2022
October 6
Folklore, Max Original Seasons 2 Premiere
Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler, Max Original Season 3 Premiere
Wahl Street, Max Original Season 2 Premiere
October 7
Habla Loud, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
October 8
Straight Out of Nowhere: Scooby-Doo Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog, 2021
October 9
We Baby Bears S1E
October 10
Avenue 5, Season 2 Premiere (HBO)
Oh Hell, Max Original Season 1 Premiere
October 11
38 at the Garden, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
October 14
Blippi Wonders, Season 2A
Fixer Upper: The Castle
October 15
Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, 2022
October 17
Mr. Pickles
The Vow, Part Two Documentary Series Premiere (HBO)
October 18
Batwheels, Season 1B Premiere
By Design: The Joe Caroff Story
Mama's Boy, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
Meet the Batwheels, Season 1A
October 19
Year One: A Political Odyssey, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
October 20
Legacy, Max Original Season 1 Premiere
The Fastest Woman on Earth, 2022
October 21
Restoration Road with Clint Harp Season 3
Teen Titans Go! Season 7D
Vale Dos Esquecidos, Max Original Season 1 Premiere
October 23
La Pitchoune: Cooking in France Season 1
October 24
Green Lantern: Beware My Power, 2022
October 26
A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, Documentary Premiere (HBO)
October 28
Garcia, Max Original Season 1 Premiere
October 30
The Lost Kitchen, Season 3
The White Lotus, Season 2 Premiere (HBO)
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Featured image by FG Trade/Getty Images
How This New Bond Repair Line Transformed One Mother's Postpartum Shedding Into The Ultimate Curl Comeback
This article is in partnership with SheaMoisture
For Crystal Obasanya, her wash day woes came shortly after her son did. The beauty and lifestyle content creator had been natural for years, but during postpartum, she quickly learned about one reality many mothers can relate to experiencing: postpartum hair loss. “Sis had thinning hair. Sis had split ends,” she shared about her hair changes in a Reel via xoNecole.
Over a year into her postpartum journey, Crystal explained she also had dry, brittle hair, noting that keeping it hydrated before pregnancy had already been “a task.” The 4C natural recalled going from thick hair during pregnancy to a thin hairline due to postpartum shedding as “devastating.” When it came to strengthening and revitalizing her hair, the new SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection was just the thing she needed to elevate her damaged coils to revive and thrive status and get them poppin' again.
SheaMoisture is providing us with the cheat code for transforming dry and damaged strands into thriving and deeply nourished crowns. By unveiling their 4-step hair system, the SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection is equipping you with the tools to reverse signs of hair damage caused by protective styling, heat, and color and is uniquely formulated for Type 3 and 4 hair textures.
The haircare system revives damaged natural hair by repairing and rebuilding broken hair bonds through a game-changing combination of HydroPlex Technology and AminoBlend Complex, a unique blend of fortifying amino acids formulated specifically for curly and coily hair. Scientifically proven to reduce breakage by 84% and make your hair six times stronger (vs. non-conditioning shampoo), the collection infuses your hair with the nourishment it craves and the strength it deserves.
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“When trying it out, I quickly noticed that my hair felt revived and renewed, and my curls were so hydrated,” Crystal said while using the Amla-infused Bond Repair Leave-In Conditioner. “I also felt my hair strands were stronger.” So much so that the influencer felt brave enough to get her hair braided shortly thereafter. “I can definitely say that I will be keeping it in my hair wash routine,” she added in the caption of her Reel about her positive experience using the products.
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This Ultra Moisturizing reparative masque is a moisture-rich game-changer for those dealing with the aftermath of hair damage caused by styling. The SheaMoisture Bond Repair Collection Masque delivers 13 times more moisture compared to non-conditioning shampoos, ensuring your hair feels nourished and soft. Designed to repair and rejuvenate, this masque significantly strengthens damaged hair — making it twice as strong while reducing breakage.
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Elevate your curl game with SheaMoisture’s Bond Repair Collection Leave-In Conditioner. Lightweight and hydrating, the Bond Repair Leave-In Conditioner provides 12x more moisture than non-conditioning shampoos and tames frizz with 24-hour humidity control. Designed to define curls and coils, the leave-in conditioner enhances softness and shine allowing you to detangle effortlessly.
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Featured image courtesy
8 Semi-Uncomfortable Things That MUST Be Discussed Before Marriage
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It’s a saying that virtually all of us have heard before, and yet, isn’t it interesting that, when it comes to things like marriage, far too many people are reactive instead of proactive? Take premarital counseling, for example. If folks are doing it at all (and not nearly enough are, trust me), they tend to wait until after they have gotten engaged and even set a date.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of that because, once you’ve already “locked in” on that level, going to see a marriage counselor or life coach is pretty much only seen as a mere formality. In other words, you’re not really looking to dive deep to see if there are some potential red, orange, or even yellow flags — you’re just going to a couple of sessions because it sounds like the right thing to do.
And because of that mindset, far too many people go into marriage totally blindsided and/or thinking that they can deal with things later and/or believing that love (which usually is some emotional version, not the biblical one — I Corinthians 13) will conquer all — and because of that, divorce court ends up becoming their reality. If not semi-immediately…eventually.
That’s why I write articles like this. Wisdom says that if you want to get into something as serious as marriage and you’re going to look someone in their eyes and vow to be with them for the rest of your lives, you both should know as much as possible about what you’re getting yourselves into…beforehand.
The following eight questions can help to lead the way when it comes to this…
1. Childhood Issues
A few nights ago, I found myself getting caught up in a movie on HBO Max calledOn Chesil Beach. It drags, so I’m not (necessarily) recommending it. However, it does help to drive home this first point that I’m trying to make because it’s all about the purely excruciating wedding “night” of a couple who waited to (attempt to) consummate their marriage. Although for a lot of it, the wife was pretty annoying, you do get glimpses of her childhood that help to shed light on all of her excuses and hesitancy (and there was A LOT of both).
If you do happen to want to watch the film, I won’t give all of what happens away. What I will say is that one of the main reasons why going to premarital counseling is so important is you and your bae should talk about childhood issues.
Listen, as one of my favorite quotes says, “Adulthood is surviving childhood.” Meaning, a lot of times, marriages struggle because it’s not two healed adults who are in the relationship; it’s more like two wounded (on some level, at least) kids who are trying to make a valiant attempt at an adult dynamic.
I know many people who grew up in hella dysfunctional homes who simply said, “I will never be like my parents when I grow up,” only to turn around and be just like them. How did that happen? It’s because of something that I tell a lot of my clients: we tend to do what’s familiar, not what’s right. The main way to prevent that from happening is by being open and honest about where we come from, how it all affected/infected/impacted us, and then getting help, if needed, before jumping the broom.
2. Greatest Heartbreak
Although I’m not sure that there is solid data on what I’m about to say, I stand ten toes down on the fact that I don’t think that men look to “fall in love” multiple times. If anything, they have a first love, their wife, and possibly someone in between. Why? Because contrary to what social media likes to cram down our throats about men, many men when they fall, they fall very hard and are all in. Case in point, I can’t tell you how many guys have told me how much of an influence their first love has had on them — even to this day. And when something monumental happens, it can totally change you (check out “Your Soulmate Might Be The One Who Broke You”).
That’s why I also think it’s a good idea for you and your man to discuss what your greatest heartbreak was like — past (how it affected you) and present (how you feel about the experience now). It can shed great light into how you see relationships and love and why you make some of the decisions that you now do. It can also help you both to express if there are still some unresolved issues that are dormant there because I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve had who, when things got rocky in their marriage, the very first place they went to was Facebook or Instagram to see what their “long lost love” has been up to.
A writer by the name of Jodi Picoult once said, “Once you had put the pieces back together, even though you may look intact, you were never quite the same as you'd been before the fall.” Both of you discussing how this saying relates to this particular topic can, as I put it, “cover up mouseholes.” What I mean by that is, by getting it all out in the open, your partner will be able to know your wounds and weaknesses in that area and offer up some support and even protection — in ways you, he, or both may not have known was needed…until the topic was actually brought up.
3. Financial Habits
You know, I find it very interesting how the Good Book says that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil (I Timothy 6:10), and yet, pretty much any time I tiptoe out to see what social media is yapping — sorry, I mean talking — about, “broke” comes up incessantly. Listen, should you want to be with someone who is financially savvy and stable? 1000 percent. Should you also be the kind of person who you want to be with? 10,000 percent.
That said, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a premarital session and asked both people what their credit score was, only for them to look at me like I asked them to strip naked or something. LOL. Well, I guess, in a way, it’s the same thing because nothing reveals someone’s financial stuff like their credit score and what they’ve got in their savings account. Yet if you’re thinking that your soon-to-be spouse isn’t going to find all of that out anyway, you’re caught up in some sort of delusion that I’m not sure any therapist can get you out of.
Personally, I think that engaged couples should hire a financial advisor and get a financial mentor (preferably a married couple) to comb through both of their finances so that they can see each other’s current state, areas of strengths and weaknesses, and so they can come up with a financial plan for their first, third and fifth year of marriage.
You know, although actually the top reason for divorce these days has a lot to do witha lack of support (emotionally and otherwise),financial stuff is still up there. A part of the reason for that is that there’s no way around the fact that marriage is a business contract (among other things). If you’re signing up to do business with someone, you need to know what their finances look like. That’s common sense 101.
4. Character Weaknesses
Anyone who knows me knows that if someone tells me that they believe that they’ve met “the one,” while they are acting like that person is an angel on earth, the marriage life coach (and “Shellie”) in me is like, “Uh-huh. What are their character flaws, though?” It’s not to break their spirit or be a Debbie Downer or anything; it’s just that I have watched too many marriages crash and burn because they didn’t ask themselves questions like that before saying, “I do.”
For instance, one of my friends (who, yes, happens to be divorced now) told me that he had met who he believed was his soulmate; when I asked him about her potential character weaknesses, one of the things that he casually said was, “I mean, she has a bit of a jealousy streak but…” Umm, sir — you are handsome and an entertainer and you’re going to marry a jealous woman? Hacked emails and tons of drama later, he admits that he wished that he hadn’t underestimated that side of her personality.
Listen, no one is perfect — not by far. In fact, if you’re mature in your thinking, a part of what marriage is designed to do is give you the kind of accountability partner that will offer a safe space for you to address, refine, and improve some things about yourself.
However, in order for you and your partner to be able to do that, you need to know what those things are — and that needs to be discussed well before your wedding day, preferably in the presence of a reputable marriage therapist, counselor, or life coach who can help you to figure out what to do with the intel that the both of you are sharing.
5. Poor Boundaries
When you sign up to become someone’s spouse, your wedding day, in part, is about declaring to everyone that you want to make them the top priority in your life under God himself. And in order to keep anything from affecting that, you need to have some solid boundaries. Boundaries, at the end of the day, are nothing more than limits — and yes, you need to have limits as far as how much your family can know about your relationship, what your friends can and cannot speak on, and what kind of decisions y’all will make that, quite frankly, is no one else’s business…including the internet’s (because A LOT of people out here like to be passive aggressive about their relationship online).
Does it take a village to “raise a marriage?” In some ways, yes. However, when it comes to the vow-taking process, that is between a husband and his wife, and if they are religious, God. No one else made those promises and that means no one else should be as involved or invested as those two (or three) parties are.
Poor boundaries are the cause of so much drama in marriages and honestly, relationships, in general. You do not want to take the approach of, “We’ll figure out what limits we should have as problems present themselves.” Uh-uh. Talk about what your limits should look like ASAP, and make sure that you mutually agree on them too. This point alone can save your marriage more than just about anything else on here.
(P.S. A great book for you to check out isBoundaries in Marriage: Understanding the Choices That Make or Break Loving Relationships. It’s by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend.)
6. Perspectives on Daily Lifestyle
Something else that I’ve observed while working with married folks (and talking to older couples in Cracker Barrel; believe it or not, the marriage advice in there is top-notch!) is marriages tend to end, not so much because of one “big” thing that happened — it’s more like it’s due to the culmination of a lot of little ones.
Take how a person lives, for instance. I’ve dealt with couples where the wife was appalled by her husband not wiping the toilet seat, and the same husband was disgusted by her dishes being left in the sink overnight. A couple of weeks of this, and it’s whatever. Oh, but let it be some years? You’d be surprised.
It can actually be quite sobering to take a moment to ponder and process that, at least when you sign up for a traditional marriage, you’re signing up to share a home, bed, and life — for the rest of your life. If there are certain things that are super “icks” for you, if there are certain chores that you absolutely hate, if there are little pet peeves like sleeping with the television on or your partner being a morning person when you aren’t — you had better bring all of this stuff up now.
Many people have assumed that love will supersede peace when it comes to daily living. Chile, the reality is that you can love a lot of people who you just can’t live with. Please don’t find that out after taking vows and filling out paperwork. Discuss as much as possible about the day-to-day of how you both move, just as soon as you possibly can.
7. Patterns in Past Relationships
In interviews, some folks will ask me what I think about the whole “Does knowing someone’s body count really matter?” debate (check out “6 Things About The Whole 'Body Count' Debate That Should Be Discussed”). As it relates to this particular article, two things: one, check out TIME’s article, “How Previous Sexual Partners Affect Offspring,” when you get a chance. Secondly, let’s do it like this: if you were to find out that your boyfriend used to beat up on his girlfriends, but he hasn’t done it in a couple of years, would “That’s in the past” suffice as his rationale? BE HONEST.
No matter how nonchalant our culture chooses to be about sex, how we decide to move in that space is about more than recreation and experiencing orgasms. So yes, knowing about your past in this realm can shed light on your mindset, your perspective, and even some of your patterns — not just your sexual past, but your past, in general.
Anyone who wants to give pushback on that, I’ll just say this: it is human nature to brag about things that we’re proud of. When it comes to your sexual past, if you’re hiding or deflecting concerning it, why is that? And what would make you think that, eventually, the things that you are suppressing won’t somehow come out anyway? Real talk, a great sign that you’re over something or someone is when you can bring it or them up — not when you’re doing everything in your power to avoid it/them.
And when it comes to past relational patterns overall — have you always been the one to do most of the work? Do you tend to flee when things get too challenging? Do you ever stop to think about what you did wrong? Do you tend to handle things with ultimatums? Do you treat relationships as projects? Do you avoid things with sex? Do you not communicate your innermost feelings well?
A pattern is something that you do over and over, oftentimes very naturally. When it comes to the men of your past, what qualifies as a pattern for you? Getting married doesn’t miraculously make those patterns go away. Discussing them can help you to get to the root of those issues and if you need to break some of them on the front end.
8. Media Programming
A quote that I find myself saying often is by The Doors singer, Jim Morrison: “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.” There is no way around the fact that media influences and impacts society on some pretty monumental levels (you can read more about thathere,here, andhere) — and so to think that what you take in when it comes to television programs that you view, movies that you watch, books that you read and social media accounts that you follow aren’t affecting you? That is some serious denial that you are in.
Case in point. I have a friend who also works in mental health. Whenever his wife is watching some trash reality television (and boy, is there A TON of it), he says that she is way more touchy to the point of almost being combative than when she isn’t. One time, he instituted a two-week fast from reality television. He said that the first week was rough for her, which caused her to realize that she was way more attached to the shows than she thought. The second week, she was calmer and far more peaceful (her words, not his). Did she totally give reality television up? I mean, we’re all a work in progress, right? LOL. She does watch it less, though, and their marriage is running smoother because of it.
As we close all of this out, definitely an underestimated influence in marriage is the media. Find out what your partner likes and why. See where the two of you are in sync, where you’re not, and what you think the compromises should be. Otherwise, you could end up with someone who is making judgment calls about your relationship based on what some random on TikTok said — you’d be amazed how many people do that. And it’s a damn shame that they do.
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There’s a reason why this article has the title that it does. Getting real — and I mean, really real — about relationships isn’t always the most comfortable thing to do; however, it is beneficial.
And what, after (genuinely) addressing things like this, you find out that you’re not as compatible as you thought? Eh. That doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Either — again, with the help of a marriage expert — figure out how to compromise or, if you ultimately can’t find enough common ground…as I oftentimes say, It’s always better to break up before marriage than divorce after it.
Words to live by. Promise you that.
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