Is it all about forgiveness

[tadpole73]

Do you think it's normal, having been in a relationship for 15 years, to have had times when you've had to forgive? Like catching hubby texting another woman, times of verbal abuse, missing your birthday, lap dance, family fallouts etc? I'm wondering if long term relationships that last decades are purely due to forgiveness and that it's inevitable in longer partnerships to have had "issues"?
Or, is it because some women get their perfect man who are so well behaved?!!

I can remember watching a documentary about a couple who had been married 50yrs and the presenter asking what the secret is. The old lady replied "if anyone tells you they haven't had to put up with the odd affair, feeling let down etc then they are lying, it's all about forgiveness and working harder at it"! Is that true or just a different generation's point of view?

I think forgiveness is a good and necessary thing. I was worried about money there last month and when my DW mentioned that we were out of wine I said "you drank it all already? Wow". I needed to be forgiven for that because it was a shitty thing to say and we all every now and again say shitty or thoughtless things. Sometimes we do shitty or thoughtless things.

But the person you're sharing your life with should not be cheating, or abusing you verbally. Those aren't things I'd be keen to forgive. To me, they'd be signs I was in the wrong relationship.