I feel your pain Zebano.

What gets me is how "together" time is usually doing nothing (watching TV) or doing something you don't want to do and the "hate to sweat" argument projects itself onto the kids who should be out sweating!!

But this shouldn't turn into a rant about spouses/partners. Like I said before, it is all about understandings, building a karma buffer zone, and seeing just how far you can push without doing any damage to the relationship.

Before you do anything else, and I hate to sound like Dr. Phil, You HAVE TO talk about it. Trust me, for years, in several relationships, I kept quiet, assuming that my partner would figure it out....nope. Either they didn't or they did, but pretented they didn't to keep the advantage.

Talk about what's important to you and try to relate why it is also important to the relationship, the family, the dog, etc.

If you can't do this, you will run into problems down the road - either by nurturing a delicious and lasting hatred for each other, or by wandering off to ride on someone else's saddle.

If you can't do this in a dating relationship -- run! If you can't do it in a more permanent relationship, work a little harder at trying. Remember, the problem could very well be you!

That is the second trick. Always take the blame. It may increase the seathing resentment boiling up inside you, but it builds Karma, and others, if you need allies, will notice.