After 60 years of marriage: This couple knows the secret of love

After 60 years of marriage
This couple knows the secret of love

© Ingo Bartussek / Adobe Stock

Love between two people is a tricky thing – if the flame is usually the strongest at the beginning, it is the task of the lovers to always keep it in check. Erika and Günther Niggemeier from Bottrop have found their recipe for love. Maybe a suggestion for so many other couples.

The couple from Bottrop have been married for 60 years. Erika and Günther Niggemeier celebrated their diamond wedding on March 15, 2023. Diamond is considered one of the most valuable materials in the world and is extremely robust. Editing, on the other hand, takes a lot of patience, effort and time. Just like a marriage that has lasted for so many decades. The Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) spoke to the couple about their secret of love.

Individual independence is important to a good marriage

It seems so easy when the 87-year-old and 84-year-old share their secret, but there’s arguably more work involved than many would expect. Marriage is about pursuing your own interests, everyone has to maintain their independence. Above all, it was his wife’s independence that made the marriage so harmonious, reveals Günther Niggemeier. “Of course we had differences of opinion, but it was never the case that one of us acted as boss,” he told WAZ.

The most important thing is that one always accepts the other as he or she is, adds Erika Niggemeier. “You have to be able to distinguish between differences of opinion and arguments”. And the two still have a very important tip: “We never broke up without a kiss”.

Sometimes a relationship is worth fighting for

In 1963 the two got married. At a time when a woman in West Germany was only allowed to work if it was “compatible with her duties in marriage and family”. It was not until 1977 that the statutory division of tasks ended. Maintaining a marriage of equals is still a challenge today. The divorce rates, which have risen again, show a clear trend here. In 2018 it was still 32.94 percent, in 2021 it has risen to 39.9 percent – ​​there is about one divorce for every three marriages.

Even if divorces and separations are absolutely justified, examples like that of Günther and Erika Niggemeier show that it is possible to stay together until death parts the two. Maybe some arguments are really just a difference of opinion, it’s worth taking a closer look.

Sources used: waz.de, statista.de

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