Building Traditions That Bond
For blending families, there are a lot of “but we always did it this way” challenges that come during the Christmas season, whether it’s about food, gift giving, visiting and traveling, or even decorating. Younger children may adapt… Read More
When Christmases Clash
The Christmas season can reveal differences between the two of you that didn’t even know you had, and this time of year can even exacerbate the differences you already know you have. When you’re aware of your holiday… Read More
Talking About the Holidays
Lots of emotions, obligations, and sometimes unreasonable expectations come with the holidays, and when it comes to understanding those things, mind reading doesn’t often work too well during this time of year…or anytime, for that matter. So it’s critical… Read More
A High View of Blending Family Life
When there are kids in the home, it’s often critical for you as a couple to take a long-term view of family life. Yes, in the short term, you’ll probably be sacrificing many of your wants and desires—and… Read More
Prepare for Your Marriage
Many couples get engaged on Valentine’s Day and find them busy with preparing for their wedding. But less than 30 percent of couples actually prepare for the rest of their lives together by reading premarital books, taking a… Read More
Listen and Love
Many of us have never really learned to listen well. We’ve learned to be selective listeners—sifting information, ignoring details, and allowing ourselves to be distracted by everything around us. In today’s media-driven world, we’re often living on information… Read More
A Valentine’s Gift That Keeps on Giving
In our living room there is a symbol we used in our wedding ceremony. It’s a three-strand cord of red, white, and gold. For us, it symbolizes that the commitment we made to marriage wasn’t just between the… Read More
Copping a Money ‘Tude
“When we married, we wanted to be responsible for our own past financial obligations so that we would be fair to each other,” Marcos says. “But we continually work together to tweak our joint budget.” How did your… Read More
Learning to Discern
Sometimes it’s so hard to discern what’s going on in your life emotionally, psychologically, or spiritually. Something is off kilter, but you just can’t put your hands on it. You’re not quite yourself. You’re edgy. You’re frustrated. You’re… Read More
Water Your Marriage
I have a spider plant that just won’t stop making babies. I really don’t do much with the plant, but I faithfully water it, give it plenty of sunshine, and fertilize it once a month. So it happily… Read More