Are you someone who celebrates their birthday all month, all week, one day, or not at all? Where does your spouse land?
Chances are you fall into one of these categories, and you probably know people who fit into the others. Are you and your spouse in the same group? If not, how are you navigating those differences?
It seems like a minor thing, but how you celebrate – whether it’s birthdays, holidays, milestones, or accomplishments – runs much deeper. Read More
In a lot of circumstances, you only get one shot. Heck, life itself is a perfect example (YOLO!) It can create a lot of pressure to get things right the first time. But no one is perfect, and when we fail, it can be a tough pill to swallow. When it’s possible and appropriate, a second chance can be just what we need to turn an ordinary or negative situation into something more. Let’s explore the power of a do-over in the context of marriage. Read More
Having children is often considered one of the most rewarding parts of marriage. While that may be true, it can also be one of the most challenging, testing your relationship with your spouse in ways you’ve never experienced before. Raising children isn’t easy, even if you were to agree on every aspect of it. So when you disagree, it can feel like a wedge between you. Why do parenting disagreements tend to carry such weight? And what are some tips to turn those disagreements into opportunities to come out stronger? Let’s take a look. Read More
Did you have family meetings when you were a kid? Were they a regular occurrence or only when there was a crisis or situation that warranted it? Depending on your experience, your feelings about them might range from fond memories to dread. But the truth is, family meetings don’t have to be something tied to negative connotations or memories for your own family.
Establishing a weekly family meeting can have a lot of great benefits for both individual members and the family as a whole. Here are 6 reasons to start one: Read More
There’s no getting around it.
Having kids changes your relationship. It’s probably not the first time you’ve heard this, and you may have experienced it yourself. We often hear about the negatives – how you have so much less time and energy to focus on each other, how easy it is to become disconnected, how if you’re not careful you can end up like roommates instead of spouses. Yes, these things are a reality for many couples at some point, but fortunately, it’s not the whole story. There are a lot of positive ways that your relationship changes when you become parents, too. Let’s explore some of the ways it can bring you closer as a couple. Read More
As a kid, were you constantly being reminded by your parents to employ good manners? If you have children, chances are you’re trying to teach them manners as well. There’s a sense of intention around instilling the habit of saying please and thank you, excuse me, I’m sorry, and the like. Paradoxically, it’s often the things that we’re unintentionally teaching and modeling for our kids that they pick up on the most. (If you’ve ever let a curse word slip out around your little ones, you’ll know what we’re talking about.)
With that in mind, what are your children learning from the interactions between you and your spouse? As you model good manners with each other, what are the deeper lessons behind the words? Here are some examples. Read More
As a couple, you learn to support each other in many facets of life. Perhaps you’ve cheered on your partner through a tough job search. Maybe their career is chugging along and you support them in the demands it requires of them. Or one of you has faced health issues and the other has been your rock. Maybe you’ve motivated and pushed each other to get out of debt. While these are all aspects that can come and go throughout your relationship, one area that takes many couples by surprise is parenting.
When you become parents, you’re both in a completely new element. It’s hard enough figuring out your own needs and identity as a parent, and knowing how to support your spouse is a challenge all its own. Parenting becomes another aspect of your couple relationship that thrives when you both feel supported by each other. Here are some ways you can weave support for each other as parents throughout your relationship: Read More
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