Have you ever had someone to give you advice about what they would have done were they in your circumstance, only to find out later they have never had a similar experience?  It’s like someone telling you how to rear children when they don’t have any children; someone telling you how to treat your wife or husband when they don’t have either.  Why is it that people can give so much free advice when they only have unqualified opinions to guide them? Or, they read a few books and articles on the subject and now they are an expert.  I don’t think you have to experience everything in order to give good advice, but I think you must temper your advice with common sense, understanding, and practicality.  This will help ensure you are not being over-zealous as you strive to be helpful.  I use to give great advice about child rearing before I had children of my own, only to find out that half the things I thought didn’t work in real life with real children.  How someone else treats their husband or wife may not necessarily work with your spouse because you are married to a completely different person and living in a totally different situation.  Everything won’t work for everyone.  I am a big proponent of taking and giving good advice, but just make sure it is sound advice that will help, not hurt.  Free yourself, you’ll feel better!