The Pettiest Arguments That Only Married People Have
Can you remember the strangest argument you've ever had? The pettiest, most pointless, silliest squabble you've ever entered? It was likely with a partner, as that's who we tend to spend most of our time with as we get older, meaning we see all their details, including the ones that get on our nerves.
Some arguments can truly only be had by a married couple, for better or for worse.
Finding a high-quality partner, one you can be completely comfortable and open with can feel impossible. But it doesn't have to be.
Hear this relationship expert's premium advice for how to find, attract, and keep the man of your dreams, click here to learn more and meet your soulmate today!
To sign up for the Higher Perspectives weekly newsletter and get more articles delivered right to your inbox, click here.
Back And Forth
No matter how in love two people are, there's no such thing as a relationship without disagreements. Once you spend a ton of time together, and often years into marriage, you'll find yourself having petty arguments over the strangest of things, the tiniest of quirks, or the most irritating of annoyances.
Author Rabia O'chaudry knew this all too well and took to Twitter/X to ask, "Married people: tell me about the stupid, recurring argument you and your spouse just cannot, will not stop having." Here are some of the answers.
Salt To Taste
This was the answer with the most likes. It was short, sweet, and seemingly simple, but it clearly left an impact on many readers.
Now, I'm someone who likes salt, probably too much for my own good, but even I'll taste something before putting salt on it to see if it needs it. It doesn't take much to oversalt a dish, so it's always best to be safe than sorry. The same goes for things like hot sauce!
Power Off
This one, I think, heavily depends on your upbringing. We all know the stereotype of a parent who's way too militant about keeping lights on or turning the thermostat up too high, and this is a byproduct of that. As someone who grew up with an energy-conscious parent, I also unplug everything I'm not immediately using.
I have no idea whether it actually saves power. It sounds like a simple experiment—one month of constant unplugging versus a month of no unplugging and then comparing the electricity bills—would put this argument to bed.
A Frustrating Collection
If you're going to be adamant that throwing something away is wasteful, you have to prove that that's the case by using the thing you refuse to throw out! It sitting there is also wasteful, you know?
Thankfully, there's a tool that solves this argument, and that's a soap bag. It's a small pouch that you put your soap ends into and it lets you still use them without having to see the unsightly half-garbage all around your shower.
All Laid Out
The replies to this one were full of people telling this woman that her husband is right, that's how you're meant to do it, and I'm inclined to agree. If you lay everything out, you can group it together and put things away in categories (one section for the fridge, one for the cabinets, etcetera). You'll know how much room to make, how much you need to throw out, and if you missed anything!
Then again, maybe I'm the one overthinking it.
Center Of Gravity
Another grocery debate, but this one is about a particular item, the arrangement of eggs in the carton. Tim makes a lot of sense here, but his wife could also find the center of gravity being consistently in the center a lot more comfortable.
This one does actually have a resolution, as Tim came back to update with a reply saying he's "conceded to middle-carton egg filling." So, if you've been having a similar argument with your spouse, there's your answer.
Slow Riser
Unfortunately I am also someone who can't wake up that fast, and I understand exactly where Rebecca's husband is coming from. Do I believe it's annoying for anyone else? Absolutely, it's probably infuriating. However, I will never, ever be able to wake up to just one alarm, so this is a necessity.
Sleeping habits might be one of the most important things to coordinate and check with your partner, for one small-sleep related grievance can throw the entire relationship off. We're grumpier when we're sleepy, after all.
Don't let your soulmate pass you by, learn how to find them and keep them with advice from a relationship expert.
Garbage Collector
The pillow thing is a smart, admittedly petty, way to get back at an annoyance like this. It's actually surprising to see that it didn't work. After something like that, I'd be too embarrassed to even consider leaving something out ever again.
However, someone in the replies described something her husband does that's similar but somehow worse, "My husband will peel it back 90% of the way but leave it attached to the bottle. WHYYYY???"
Pretty, But Useless
You can tell that Eric is really heated about this by the calm yet detailed fashion in which he describes this specific grievance. You can only articulate a simple problem so elegantly when you have really big feelings about it.
But he's right! Something like a decorative towel, blanket, pillow, or anything meant for comfort that isn't actually supposed to be used feels like a waste, especially if you don't have guests over. What do you mean we're not supposed to sit on this pillow? What else would it be on the couch for?
Stranded At Sea
Another towel grievance, but this one just feels strange. How do you forget to bring a towel into the bathroom before you shower? How do you do it constantly? It's one of the only things you need to bring with you when you do it!
Is he unaware of this pattern? How could he not notice? This is definitely annoying, no doubt about it, but it's also confusing. Maybe consider getting some shelving for your bathroom where the towels can live from now on.
Never Resetting
This is also something I'm extremely guilty of, but I can't help it! I don't need the microwave to beep at me six times to tell me something is finished, I know from the first beep. I'd rather cut it off before it gets the chance to yell at me.
Now, forgetting to clear it? That's on me, and the user who posted this seems to be self-aware about their bad habit also. Hey, nobody's perfect!
Variations On A Theme
This was also one response that had some heated replies, though most were in agreement, bringing up some of the hypocrisy they see in their own partners who do exactly this.
As one user wrote, "Or he falls asleep and starts snoring so even if I did let him sleep i cant enjoy watching anything on a normal volume." Another said, "Then when you go to watch the next episode later, you have to recap the previous one or be peppered with questions the entire time."
This one really struck a nerve with people!
For One, Or For All?
Finally, the petty argument that had the most heated debate beneath it, the collective nature of socks.
Some people were vehemently on the wife's side, with one of the top comments reading, "I don't know who needs to hear this. Socks are for sharing." A few replies down was someone in the opposite camp who wrote, "I'm with your husband on this one. Hard pass on sharing socks."
No consensus was reached, and this one topic remains up in the air, but it's clearly very divisive and gets you thinking about an opinion you might not have known you had.
To sign up for the Higher Perspectives daily horoscope, click here!
