It doesn't make any difference if your spouse doesn't get up on time, has horrible taste in clothes, forgets appointments or to take pills, loses the car keys, or never picks things up. If you parent your spouse, you are actually showing a lack of acceptance and a lack of respect for your spouse.
Putting yourself in a parental role and putting your spouse in a child role is demeaning to your mate and actually counterproductive. Your spouse will eventually resent you for taking on this controlling role and it will severely damage your marriage relationship.
Nagging doesn't work either.
So what to do? Let your spouse experience the consequences of making mistakes, losing the car keys, missing appointments, a lack of clean clothes, and other wrong decisions.
Also of Interest:
Gatekeeping
Negativity in Marriage
This is very true! Just like Courtney Cox & David Arquette. By getting angry with their “shortcomings” you are just fueling the fire of acting like their parent. Instead, talk to them about it!
The consequences of cracking his knuckles wont set in till long after im probably dead. So i fully intend to continue to nag him to stop it.