Should you visit unannounced?

Sometime in the lifetime of her relationships, a woman will encounter this widely preached gospel to visit the person she is dating unannounced to catch habits which are not verifiable otherwise. For instance if he keeps a messy liar, nurses a bad habit or of course, has another woman!

This FBI move is often justified by the fact that you truly don't know a person until you live with them so there might be merit in seeing the way they live first hand and if there is any doubt about their faithfulness, what better way to ensure they get caught without time to destroy the evidence, than to appear unannounced with a search warrant! And of course there is the surprise visit just for the thrill of giving your better half a good surprise.

Whatever the motive, the unannounced visit has its merits and demerits. For instance it can show the degree of something e.g. a statement like "I am a casual drinker" might mentally translate a picture of him occasionally consuming shot glass sizes of alcohol once in a blue moon while a visit might reveal several bottles at home and a larger appetite than one imagined. It can also help confirm a hunch- clandestine relationships, the real state of his financial affairs, family dynamics, influences and loyalties e.t.c.

When you think that the impact of a marriage on one's life can far outlive a life time you want to do as much due diligence as you can not as little as you can get away with without having to ruffle a feather or raise an eyebrow. But is the unannounced visit a good or bad idea?

While a go see can help put a relationship's troubles in perspective- giving life to those "its not you it's me" statements, it can also jeopardize the relationship when the person wearing the other shoe feels it shows distrust to spring a surprise on them as though you were looking to catch them doing something.

So for the woman who thinks it is necessary to visit her man unannounced, she has to be prepared for the unexpected, whether positive or negative. It might signal the end of the relationship if indeed there was another woman. It might not digest well if her partner sees it as an issue of distrust. It can even be a deal breaker especially when the partner has been an open book.

And for man who takes it as a slight? Especially if he hasn't executed his commitment even though he has professed it, he should perhaps be more open to the idea of his love being tested in ways he has not contemplated and this is not just because he has nothing to hide or because his partner is probably naively testing a theory handed down as sisterly advice from one burnt sister to her, but because he realises that these are the things courtships are made of- necessary background checks that re-affirm his partners faith in her decision. A faith she will later need when she has real reason to doubt in the future.