Communication and Mutual Problem Solving

So... communicating... it's pretty important.  Why is it then that we struggle to spend meaningful time communicating, especially with those that it's most important with?  Like our spouses, our parents, and those we date. If there was ever something that we should invest time into to help strengthen our relationships it should be through communicating.  I personally have struggled with communicating effectively in some of my dating relationships and even in my current relationship.  Luckily the kind boy that I'm currently courting has been very patient with me.  Even from the very beginning of our relationship back in May he has pushed me to communicate better, with great difficulty on my part.  I didn't even realize that I struggled with communicating my feelings until I started dating this boy.  We always had fun together and he was very kind, and each date we went on I left happy and excited for the next date.  He too was having fun but he has the need for a deeper emotional connection through communication.  As he put it, "Our conversations had no depth."   After a number of dates and spending time with one another he announced his impatience with my not opening up and said that he had no further intentions of calling upon me.  I opened up that night and we have a very enjoyable conversation about family and life and it felt good to open up and share with someone how I really felt about those things.  A few dates later I shut down again and had a hard time opening up, but after a little prying on his part I was able to open up and share how I felt again.  I've gotten much better since that time and although I still struggle at times in sharing how I feeling about things he is very patient and I love connecting with him emotionally through conversation.  It has helped me understand the importance of good communication even more.  Elder Neal A. Maxwell put my feelings into words pretty effectively,
“Thus one of the biggest blocks to Christian communication is that we are so afraid of being misunderstood. So, when in doubt, we withhold. Yet Paul said to speak the truth in love; we can then take the chance. We worry (and understandably so) that some communications will only produce more distance. But silence is very risky, too. . . Usually, when we do not know somebody, it is difficult for us to trust them, and this becomes a restraint upon communication and growth. Opening the windows of the soul helps us to build healthy relationships. But if those windows are always closed or the blinds are drawn, it is difficult to help;
one simply does not know what is needed” (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, 81–82).
We don't always agree on things but when we both approach the conversation humbly and seeking to understand rather than to be understood we both leave at peace and thankful for the chance to grow closer together.