How Humility Can Help New Parents Get Along

Recent research suggests that relationships marked by greater humility can ease stress between moms and dads

Humility can provide a reservoir of calm for those moments when the tensions of parenthood can push some couples towards conflict. PublicDomainPictures

What qualities do we look for in a prospective co-parent? Partner preferences usually involve some winning combination of physical attractiveness, status, and resources, at least according to some theories.

But there’s another quality we might be overlooking in the search for a mate: humility.

Humble people accurately acknowledge both their strengths and weaknesses. They’re modest and considerate. Humility seems to be especially important in maintaining and repairing relationships. For couples, the transition to parenthood can be bumpy. They have to figure out how to take care of a new baby together—an experience that can lead to differences in opinion. Can having a partner—and being a partner—who is humble make the journey into parenthood easier?