When a couple disagrees on parenting issues, it can create a variety of problems. Perhaps your spouse wants to make sure the kids are happy all the time. And your goal is to make sure they are responsible, not happy. This can wreak havoc on a marriage. Ideally, it would have been great to have [...]
For couples who are certain they want children, timing can be everything. And unlike most things in life these days that we can time down to the smallest detail, pregnancy isn’t guaranteed. For some couples, it can take months; other couples, years; and for some couples, it does not happen at all. Meanwhile, there’s plenty [...]
Not so long ago, getting married and choosing not to have children seemed unthinkable. The thought process in the past was that people got married so they could raise children together. And the purpose of raising children was to carry on your legacy (not to mention, they could help out around the farm). Today, many [...]
Sometimes couples report that they never fight, disagree, or argue. In fact, sometimes their marriage sounds more like a polite interaction with a store clerk or the mail carrier. Marriage is not supposed to mean that both people will get along all the time by agreeing on everything. Many couples go to great lengths to [...]
When a relationship starts to have problems, do not ignore or avoid tackling those issues. These won’t help the problem at all. Instead, it may cause the problems to seem magnified and discord may intensify. If you and your partner are struggling to get through some issues, there are several different ways to seek help [...]
Debt can have a big impact on a couple’s relationship. Perhaps you had a student loan or two, a car payment, and some credit card. Then you married someone who had a few more student loans, another car payment, and quite a bit of credit card debt. Adding these two together can seem like a [...]
The CDC estimates that 60 million Americans over the age of 20 are obese. For adolescents ages 6 to 19, 9 million are overweight. This means there’s a good likelihood that you, your spouse, or your children have a weight problem. Parents who are overweight are more likely to have children who are overweight. Obesity [...]
With children being very technological savvy these days, it is important for parents to work together to keep children safe. Children are surrounded by potential threats, sexual images, and pressure to make unhealthy choices. Whether the danger involves cyber bullying or potential predators, there are daily risks for children who surf the internet and use [...]
You can help make your visit to the doctor more effective for both of you. Here are some tips. Before you go to the doctor, write down what you want her or him to address. Write it down in such a way as to leave space for you to write down the answers. When you [...]
An emotional affair is one that may become physical, but not necessarily. Emotional affairs can sometimes be even more damaging to a relationship than sexual affairs. Emotional affairs take away from intimacy within the relationship and create a wedge between two partners. Sometimes people think a relationship is innocent if nothing sexual is going on. [...]
Many people have difficulty identifying and expressing their feelings. Men, in particular, seem to have difficulty expressing feelings of sadness. Often, their sadness or anxiety seems to come out as anger. People may fear their emotions are a sign of weakness or they might think they are exaggerating a problem. Other people don’t take the time to [...]
Are you and your partner thinking of having children? Do you know all the ways you approach your differences? Have you worked them out? Why not try having a pet first? This animal will give you a chance to find out these differences. For example, what kind of animal do you or your partner want? [...]
Often, we make some mistakes in normal dealings with older people. These mistakes either make the person feel like a baby or child or else somewhat alone or shunned. There are some actions we can do to make the person feel better—they don’t cost anything and they’re easy to implement. The first mistake is assuming [...]
If you have been hurt by your partner in the past, letting go of that hurt can be difficult. Past hurts that are not dealt with often lead to ongoing feelings of resentment, frustration and anger. It can cause a variety of relationship difficulties when someone has not been able to forgive and move past [...]
People who have different values and ideas about money can learn how to work together as a team in a relationship. If one partner is a saver and the other is a spender, each partner can learn from the other person’s strategies. Differences in opinions over money can cause problems in the relationship if they [...]
These days it is not uncommon for one or both spouses to lose their jobs unexpectedly. The unemployment rate has been steadily rising over the last few years, which proves the dire situation we are in. When this situation arises, it can cause feelings of depression, anxiety, stress, and even grief over the loss of [...]
Assertive behaviors help people to express their feelings, explain their needs, and set limits when they don’t want to do something. Learning how to be assertive can be very helpful in relationships. When people are able to be assertive, they tend to develop more self-worth and tension in the relationship decreases. Some people tend to [...]
When people having difficulty managing the stress in their lives, it can lead to relationship problems. If someone is stressed about work, extended family, or financial problems, it will impact their relationship if they do not learn ways to manage the stress. When people feel they are under a lot of stress, it impacts them [...]
Sugar and spice and all that’s nice. That’s what little girls are made of. Father daughter relationships are complicated. One minute they are your little girl in pigtails, following you everywhere. You’re the only man in their lives. Then one day she grows up. She spends more time with her friends, starts wearing makeup, and [...]
Many conflicts and disagreements result from people assuming they know what their partner is thinking. These assumptions can lead to a variety of feelings such as anger, hurt and disappointment. Many times, the person has misread what his partner’s thoughts truly are. Avoid miscommunications by talking openly and asking questions. It is fairly common for [...]
Remember when you came home from work, microwaved a frozen meal for dinner, poured yourself a glass of wine, and spent the rest of the night on the couch watching TV? Like most parents, those days are long gone. Now, after a long day at work, you’re bombarded with attention-starved kids, a spouse who wants [...]
Is alcohol an upper? Yes. Is alcohol a downer? Yes. Can it be an upper and a downer at the same time? Yes. Should you worry about that? You bet! Alcohol is a very powerful drug. We tend to minimize that and make excuses for it because, like cigarettes, it’s perfectly legal. Most of the [...]
Do you ever wonder why it sometimes feels so hard to “stop and smell the roses” on the pathway of life? People often find themselves wishing for the next chapter in life to begin, without taking time to savor what they DO have, and what is currently going on. For example, many people often tell [...]
When a couple experiences grief, it can make them stronger as an individual and as a couple. Much of the time, however, grief creates a divide between two people if they are not careful about working on their relationship throughout the grieving process. Grief results from losses, such as loss of a job, all the [...]
Ever wonder what makes a “happy” family? Or, what your family could do differently? Do you feel like your family is missing out on something better? The following is a list of “rules” that I give to families who are looking to strengthen their relationships and create a more peaceful and loving home: Have family [...]
Arguing is normal between couples. The important thing to remember about disagreements is to control your behavior during a conflict. Ask yourself about what sorts of behaviors you exhibit when you and your partner disagree and determine how this impacts the relationship. Talk to your partner and try to establish some ground rules about conflict. [...]
Exercise is proven to be essential to a healthy lifestyle. Exercise makes you feel better about yourself, increasing your self esteem and decreasing depression, anxiety, and stress. Not surprisingly, it can also improve your romantic relationships. Getting fit alongside your partner can lead to improved quality time together, more fun in the relationship, a deeper [...]
So you’re contemplating being together with this wonderful person. She or he is everything you’ve ever wanted. You have compatible tastes and enjoy each other’s company. You click. And then somehow religion comes up. You’re X and s/he is Y, or no religion at all. You start discussing it and you find out either she [...]
Just like we often teach children to take a time out to calm down, adults can benefit from taking a time out when they feel angry. Time outs can prevent arguments from escalating to the point where people say and do things they don’t mean. Time outs can stop the disagreement before things become abusive [...]
We Americans don’t often talk about class. We prefer to think of ourselves as middle class or just simply free agents, choosing whatever we want to be and do. Nevertheless, class is important in terms of all the choices we make or are made for us. As for relationships, class differences can create conflicts that [...]
