Do you ever take your wedding ring off?
By Sillychick
@Sillychick (3275)
United States
March 14, 2008 4:03pm CST
I have talked about this with my friends and my husband, and some people can't understand why I take my wedding ring and engagement ring off to shower, when I put lotion on, and sometimes when I am cooking. They say they never take theirs off because they are afraid of losing them. Some people even have said to me-'Why would you take them off? They are so precious. Don't they mean a lot to you?' Those comments make me mad.
Yes, my rings are important to me. So important, in fact, that I take them off so I won't lose them down the drain, or get them all gunked up with lotion, or (Yuck!) gunked up with meat when I am making meatballs.
Am I the only one who thinks it's not a big deal to take my rings off once in a while? It's not like I take it off to go clubbing with my friends.
7 people like this
50 responses
@roscatulenes (56)
• Romania
15 Mar 08
no, i think it is a cruel thing to do so.By removing your weddingring you are sayng, I don't love you anymore,
1 person likes this
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
I don't think there is anything cruel about removing my ring. As I stated in the original post, I remove it to protect it from getting raw meat and other food stuck in it, and so it doesn't slip off my finger and go down the drain in the shower. It does not mean I don't love my husband. In fact, I think it means that I care enough to value and take good care of the rings he gave me. Why does the ring mean that much? Isn't it more important how I feel? And how could simply wearing or not wearing a ring change my feelings?
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
25 Mar 08
no it is not cruel at all to have left her rings on would have made her finger swell so badly that they might have to be cut off her husband loves her and knows why she took her rings off they are just one symbol of marriage one has to usecommon sense for heavens sakes
@clrumfelt (5490)
• United States
15 Mar 08
I wear my rings when I go out somewhere but not around the house because I am always putting my hands into something and I want to protect my rings. I don't wear them at night because my hands swell and it makes my arm hurt. I don't mind taking them off sometimes.
The issue is not where my rings are but where my heart is. I always put them right into my jewelry box so I won't lose them when I take them off.
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
Right, a ring is just a piece of jewelry. Your heart is what matters, and how you feel.
1 person likes this
@Madona1 (2096)
• Gibraltar
15 Mar 08
Hello there, I do take my wedding ring off occasionally for cleaning or the beach in summer. In your case, I don't see there is any problem. The way you act seems you look after your ring in a more serious way, which proof you care it and value it more. Taking off the ring doesn't mean the chance of losing will be higher.
1 person likes this
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
I agree. I am taking good care of it.
1 person likes this
@nyumix (1658)
• Belgium
15 Mar 08
Yes, I do. Even now I am not wearing it. Why? Because it does not fit anymore. When I got pregnant, I gained weight a lot, so I had to take my wedding's ring off. Now, I still can't get back to my normal weight, that's why the ring still a bit to small for my finger at this time. Of course the ring have big meaning for me, but my feeling is more important than the ring, and my husband can understand about that.
1 person likes this
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
I had to take my rings off during the last few months of my pregnancy, too. But I was able to put them back on within a few weeks after my son was born. I agree, the feelings are more important, and a ring is not necessary to show your commitment to each other.
1 person likes this
@jsarten80 (25)
• United States
19 Mar 08
You know that is such a touchy subject and I am not sure what the big deal is. I take my ring off when I do dishes and shower. I always set it on my dresser so it wont get lost. Taking your wedding ring off is not some omen and bad things will happen to you. Everyone is different and do things a certain way. There is nothing wrong with taking it off to do some chores. For me I am just trying to keep it in perfect shape. I don't want to lose a diamond or damage it in some other way or even get it dirty if i am cooking. It is hard to get little pieces of hamburger or little spices out from between the diamonds. So don't worry if you feel better to take it off when doing certain things like many women then you keep doing it. There is nothing wrong with it. Like you said its not like you are going out clubbing with friends you are just doing some household stuff.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45939)
• United States
15 Mar 08
I don't wear my wedding band all the time. I wear gloves when I am working to protect my hands from germs. My hands sweat and that causes moisture under the rings that I wear. This causes irritation. I now only wear my rings when we go out. That isn't often. I don't wear them when I am home. Rings do signify a marriage, it is in the way you present yourself that does. If you act married, you are married.
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
You are right- a person's attitude really does say a lot.
@SViswan (12051)
• India
15 Mar 08
I don't take mine off...only because I am lazy. I don't think it's a big deal. My mother takes hers off all the time.
We also have a chain (called the mangalsutra that married women wear) which is to be worn all the time. Well, I don't mind taking that off too...but it's really short and I don't want to be fiddling with the latch and breaking it. If it was longer, I would have taken it off.
I think it's all in the mind and heart...and it might also signify to other people that you are married. But being careful and taking them off doesn't mean that you care any less for your spouse.
Anyways, mine is a little tight and won't come off easily when making meatballs...lol. But it is difficult to clean it when I have it on almost all the time and put lotion or cook with it....kneading the dough is the hardest part. I ought to take it off then...and I think I will be from now on.
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@SViswan (12051)
• India
18 Mar 08
lol..I just realized why I haven't been thinking of the ring being dirty while cooking ..or kneading the dough. Someone told me that according to our custom, the woman needs to have her wedding ring on the left hand. And I've put my ring on the left one now....and do all the rest of my work with the right. That's why it doesn't get really dirty while cooking. Gosh! I totally forgot I did that!
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
When cooking it's not a matter of losing it, I just don't want raw meat and whatever else getting stuck in the setting. It is hard to clean. But I do worry about losing it in the shower.
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@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
15 Mar 08
I take my wedding ring when I go to bed and when I take a bath. Now the reason is besides my fingers swell, is because before I married, I got pregnant, and gave the baby away. I tried to get pregnant after I married with no success, and figured that was because maybe I was one of those girls who once they got married lost all chances to getting pregnant again. I have heard of this happening and I guess the reason was that either no decent guy would marry them until all chances of them having a child were gone, or they had gotten a disease, or the guys that married them did not want children, and they assumed that the girl by giving away her baby, did not want children anyway.
Anyway now it is because my finger swells although with my losing weight, I will have to keep the ring on and too he!! with that superstition!
1 person likes this
@christineli (525)
• Philippines
15 Mar 08
Hello Sillychick :)
I was able to wear my wedding ring until before I got pregnant with my first baby. After that, the ring doesn't fit my fingers anymore because I'm bigger now. But its not a big deal to me and my husband. He doesn't wear his wedding ring too because he really never got used to the feeling of wearing a ring.
After 3 kids and 9 years of marriage, I know our relationship is stronger than other couples we know who never take their wedding rings off. I even know couples who had separated a few years after marriage, even if they never take their wedding rings off. Well, I'm sure that wedding rings are great symbol of love and commitment. But it takes more than a wedding ring to build a strong relationship. In our marriage, our wedding ring is not the one that binds us. Its our children. :)
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
It certainly does take more than a wedding ring to build and maintain a strong marriage. It is good that you and your husband are so secure in your relationship. My husband and I are, too.
@SassyKittyKat (2135)
• Australia
15 Mar 08
That's rediculous! I take mine off all the time to shower and put lotion on and sometimes to cook. They mean a lot to me but they are just symbols really. Besides that, they are going to lose a stone and ruin them if they keep showering with them and putting them under water. LOL, maybe they want new rings, who knows but if that's the case, how precious can they be to them if they are so willing to replace them so often? ;-P
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
I don't know, I think maybe some people place more importance on the symbol. My rings are important to me- important enough to take good care of them and be careful not to lose them down the drain!
1 person likes this
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
17 Mar 08
We didn't spend a lot of money on ours, but they are still very important to me. I do take them off in the shower, not when I wash dishes. I have never heard that water could damage rings before, I just take it off so I don't lose it. Thanks.
1 person likes this
@SassyKittyKat (2135)
• Australia
17 Mar 08
Yeah, well, if you spent a lot of money on them, I really can't say I blame you. However, my brother in law is a manager at a major jewelry store and he told me that water can loosen the stones and cause damage. So, if they are that important to you, you may want to think twice before taking showers with them and washing dishes with them etc....
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@ruthinian (2309)
• United States
17 Mar 08
No, I am married for only 8 months anyway. And my wedding band is kinda tight right now I am having a hard time taking it off and I dont want to take it off too because it is placed where I also have my solitaire diamond ring my hubby gifted me last Christmas and it's kinda loose so it serves as a barrier for the diamond ring.
I also feel naked now when I remove my rings. So I dont take it off.
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@goodhappens (671)
• United States
14 Mar 08
You know they are presious to you and more importantly the marriage is, I am a massage therapist, so my ring comes off every day I work, dont think the clients want to feel my ring in their neck.
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
15 Mar 08
Yes, that is one job that you would have to take your rings off.
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
15 Mar 08
If on the odd times I use hand cream I do take my rings off, what a mess it makes of a setting, but then they go back on. Unfortunately I do sometimes have to take my rings off and leave them off because I get bad swelling in my hands. Otherwise I do wear my rings. There's a big difference between taking your rings off for a logical reason and just taking them off in the hope to attract someone elses attention. Obviously your rings are very important to you and that is why you take them off to keep them looking good! If you do get food or hand cream stuck to the rings I have a tooth brush I use just for my rings and a dab of toothpaste works miracles.
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
I had to take my rings off for the last couple months of my pregnancy because of swelling. I wore them on a chain around my neck, but it felt weird not having them on my finger. Though you could see the mark where they were because I waited so long to take them off, I could barely get them off.
Thanks for the tip on cleaning the setting. I have forgotten a few times and got lotion all in the setting- what a pain!
@Galena (9110)
•
15 Mar 08
I've only got the engagement ring so far, and it's never been further than the base of my knuckle, to clean around it.
it's fine with soap, it's fine with creams (I work with skincare, so am in contact with these a lot) if it gets dull I wipe it with a soft cloth and it comes up shiny again.
any kind of muck in it will wash right out again, no trouble.
I never ever want to take my rings off.
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
Mine always seems to get a lump of lotion stuck inside the setting, and it's hard to clean, so I take it off to put lotion on, then put it right back on.
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
15 Mar 08
there is superstition about taking them off I think. Sadly my gorgeous wedding band (we put all the money into a nice wedding band for us rather than an engagement ring) flew off my finger 15 years ago - I heard it bounce off the house siding and it rolled under the deck as far as I could tell. we crawled under and could not find it - we tore out the deck and used a metal detector with no luck :( then the base we lived at closed and we had to move. I left a message for whoever would eventually buy that house from the Army (after 6 mos of having it on the market the army bought it from us to sell) would send it our way. we have since moved a couple more times... I don't imagine I will ever receive my ring back.
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
I'm so sorry to hear that. I have lost things that way, but luckily not anything that was irreplaceable. That's why I take my rings off in the shower. I'm afraid it will slip off and go down the drain.
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
15 Mar 08
my husband and i don't even have wedding rings, lol. we didn't want to waste the money on something we'd both inevitably lose...so i don't think there's anything wrong with what you do...
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
I think that shows you are both secure in your relationship. I think some men get upset about their wives taking the rings off because, to some men, it is a symbol that they 'own' their wives or something. Either that or they are very insecure.
@SusanShayAvon (1003)
• United States
15 Mar 08
No wedding ring but I think that you are doing the right thing unless your husband would rather have salmonilla or something. Or a diamond in his meatball. LOL
@sashuangqingfeng (103)
• China
15 Mar 08
I support you,madam.Although I have not married yet,I understood you entirely.My grandmother had this kind of wonder,when she was cooking or washing clothes,at firs,she really hesitate whether to take the wedding ring off or not,but at last she always made her decision to take it off,because it was absolutely convenient to do the housework without it.In my opinion,she is right.The love exists in the heart,not just in the outstandings.To love someone or not,it does not depend on taking the rings off.
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
16 Mar 08
Exactly, it is the feelings that matter. The ring is just a symbol.
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