After 47 successful years of romance with First Lady Jill Biden, President Biden showed his secret to a happy and long marriage. To quote the President of the United States, it’s “good sex.” In one of her latest books “American Woman – The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden,” New York Times White House correspondent Katie Rogers took a look at the president’s almost five-decade long marriage.

Rogers explains how Biden, who in 2004 was only a senator, decided not to launch his presidential challenge against then-Senator John Kerry. As it turns out, the decision was suggested by his wife. It seems that Jill Biden entered a meeting with her husband and his staff, showing a halter top with the word “No” written on her stomach.

Moreover, Joe Biden might have publicly stated that good sex is the secret to a great marriage, but this didn’t sit too well with his wife, who was deeply embarrassed. Rogers also mentioned how back in 2006, Joe seemed way more interested in staying home with Jill than running for the presidency.

Even if the comments brought quite a lot of attention to their spicy marriage, this isn’t even the first time he spoke candidly about his relationship with the First Lady.

The Presidential couple also shared that it took five proposals from the president for them to finally tie the knot in 1977. “I’ve been as patient as I know how to be, but this has got my Irish up. Either you decide to marry me or that’s it – I’m out. I’m not asking again.” This seems to be the way Biden convinced Jill to marry him.

All this happy marriage talking made us come up with other golden rules for a happy marriage!

Since the President of the United States decided to share with us some of his insights on marriage, we decided to leave you with a list of things that will make your relationship successful!

Raising a moral family

Some people think that marriage is the union of two people and their families. They need to stick to their morals and share these morals with their kids as well. They believe that if they can raise their children the right way, society will benefit from it, and for them, that’s the definition of a truly successful marriage.

One with effective communication

Some people need clear communication and companionship. For them, these two are the keys to a successful marriage. These people are absolutely convinced that talking to each other without any reservations and hiding no secrets will secure them a successful marriage.

Living as friends

This might seem weird, but for some, it’s a simple secret to a happy marriage. It’s one of the most talked-about definitions of a successful marriage. Some believe that sharing life as friends is the ultimate key to a successful marriage.

Unconditional love and understanding

Another rather common definition of a successful marriage is commitment, responsibility, and also sacrifice. Some people think that good understanding and unconditional love are the main ingredients of a good marriage. Accept your partner with his or her flaws and understand that nobody is perfect.

Communication

If you’re searching for the perfect recipe for a happy marriage, you need to understand the essential things that keep a relationship strong and healthy. Believe it or not, communication is the main ingredient.

You need to make sure that you always speak your mind in an assertive and concise way, especially when it comes to what you want and expect. Also, remember that good communication is what makes a union successful.

Respect

Every good marriage is based on mutual respect. Without respect, you can’t really achieve anything, and the union becomes toxic and stressful. What also might help is eliminating anything that could lead your partner to disrespect you and the other way around. You should always strive to understand your partner’s perspective and work around that.

Setting boundaries

Another super important aspect of a healthy marriage is setting personal boundaries without any hesitation. You should always keep an individual life and take some time to yourself. You might be going on multiple dates throughout the week, but you should also be able to meet with your friends and family every now and then.

Trust

All good marriages need to be based on mutual and unbreakable trust between partners. Even if it takes a lot of time to build that kind of trust, you should still strive to put in the right amount of effort from the start.

Support

Having a supportive partner makes a marriage successful and happy. It’s very important to have someone who truly believes in you and supports you unconditionally.

Independence

Believe it or not, independence was highly rated in a marriage. If you truly want to be happy while married, you first need to prioritize your happiness. That’s actually the key ingredient to a successful relationship. Having that in mind, wives and husbands shouldn’t forget to take the needed time for themselves, enjoy their hobbies, and spend some time apart.

After all, the absence makes the heart grow fonder. On top of that, on the time we get to spend by ourselves, we also reunite with our spiritual side, get in touch with our sense of self, and check in with the progress of our personal preferences, goals, and achievements.

Listening to what your spouse has to say

We all need to talk and communicate. So when we hear “we need to talk” we shouldn’t rush into conclusions. I know most of us hate to hear this sentence, but if you’re wondering what it takes to have a good marriage, creating a platform for healthy discussions is a must.

And here’s the thing: all women should work on active listening, sure, but we still emphasize this as an area of special attention for men. More often than not, men don’t realize that what their partners need is a listening ear.

Agree to disagree

Being great together doesn’t automatically mean that couples agree on every single thing. The majority of couples we interviewed had all kinds of attitudes, opinions, and belief systems. Some of them even held opposing views on some of the most important areas of their lives.

All couples should disagree on some subjects. In fact, successful, loving couples always respect the point of view of one another and even have some sort of sense of humor over it. It’s important to remember that respect is a pillar in any successful marriage.

Forgiving each other

This is probably one of the most complex keys in any relationship, especially if you tend to be the kind of person who holds a grudge. This goes hand-in-hand with praying together and offering grace. So take a deep breath and forgive your husband for not remembering your favorite flowers.

Or for saying something hurtful. Forgiveness can genuinely transform a marriage, but it takes a lot of time and patience with yourself to look them in the eye and tell them that you forgive them for hurting you.

Acceptance

Another huge relationship killer is a lack of acceptance. This is a trait mainly associated with women. It’s important to remember that you married someone for who they are. Even if you’d like to change them, you still can’t. The key to a successful marriage is to realize this as soon as possible. When you persuade someone to be in a certain way, this means that you only focus on their weaknesses.

Naturally, there’s much to know about how to make a marriage work. That’s why we recommend you read this book!

If you found this article useful, we also recommend checking: 15 Subtle Signs That Hint Your Husband Is Cheating With a Coworker