“Divorces are mainly caused by too many expectations from the spouse.” Shabana Azmi, actress, activist, and Member of the Indian Parliament’s upper house (the Rajya Sabha), said this Monday at the opening of a premartial counseling center in India’s capital. Although Azmi spoke of Delhi’s mostly arranged marriages, she could have been talking about marriages in the U...
Married and Bored? Don’t Talk about It
This morning, I read a newspaper columnist’s response to a woman who’s become bored with her 19-year marriage. The woman can’t see any way out of her boredom except to divorce. Unfortunately (or perhaps very fortunately), she could afford to divorce only if she wins the lottery or lands a rich boyfriend, because they are in debt. The columnist suggested she talk to her husband...
From the First Anniversary to the Fiftieth
In today’s Seattle Times, marriage advice from seven siblings, all of whom have been married to the same husband or wife for fifty years. Faith Eat together A lot of give and take Family time Stay in touch with close relatives Humor Good cooking Accept each other’s idiosyncrasies How do you manage that give and take? How do you accept each other’s idiosyncracies? How do you find...
My Spouse Acts Like He (She) Hates Me!
My article, My Spouse Acts Like He (She) Hates Me! When You No Longer Feel Loved, in the Summer issue of Going Bonkers? The self-help magazine with a sense of humor, will be in bookstores on July 3rd. Which bookstores? Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million, Hastings Books, and independent bookstores like Doylestown Bookshop. Some outlets may not carry the magazine, and some may run out...
Preparing for a Muslim Marriage — or Any Other Sort
I will be attending a bridal shower tomorrow for an arranged marriage between two Muslims, and I wish both of them the very best, lifelong marriage. So I was thrilled to receive a Google alert this morning about an excellent article in Pakistan Daily about preparing for a Muslim marriage. For those of us who are not Muslims, it may seem remarkable that Muslim Americans, many or most of whom marry...