Prescription for an Unhappy Marriage
Keep checking if you are loved, if you are respected
Keep checking whether you are getting all you expected
Prescription for a Happy Marriage
Keep checking if you are overlooking loving acts or signs of respect
Keep checking whether you are getting goodness you never expected
Simple, no?
Are you one of those parents who did not have great role models for marriage as you were growing up? Did you have to discover some of the skills for sustaining an intimate relationship on your own? Me, too. And as you know if you have read my Author page, it took a huge whack upside the head for me to catch on. So, what would I teach a daughter if I had one still in middle school or high school...
Reba McEntire’s hit song Consider Me Gone expresses a feeling many of us have experienced in our relationships. “If I’m not the one thing you can’t stand to lose…consider me gone.” Feeling unimportant to someone we love and want in our life is intolerable. Our natural first impulse is to run. Yet, when I listen to this song, I don’t hear a woman who has...
For those who don’t get excited about receiving gifts, giving them can be a chore. Worse yet, gift-giving can become a no-win trap, one in which they are certain to disappoint someone who matters a lot to them. Here are seven ways to have more fun this month if you love giving and receiving gifts but your spouse doesn’t: Create a wish list and make it easy for your mate to find. Find...
My preschooler nephew provided an unexpected reminder on Thanksgiving of how to make love last. After dinner, he helped decorate the Christmas tree, then announced we should all gather around it to sing, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” He grabbed me and said, “Aunt Patty, let’s get the books!” I was surprised anyone keeps a set of Christmas carol song books in their...
I am a widow who got it right the second time. I have been sharing here since February 14, 2006 what I learned from that experience and from positive psychology, marriage research, and my training as a marriage educator.
