Origin Families and Their Impact
Our family of origin makes leaving and cleaving complicated! When we marry, we each bring an inherited mental picture of what a spouse ‘should’ be. That makes things interesting...
Divorce Proof Relationship Resolutions
January 3 is known as ‘divorce day’ – the most popular day for women to file for divorce. Perhaps because they’ve held it together for the festive season but can’t keep up the charade any longer. Sadly, most men don’t see it coming. Going through life blissfully unaware that their partner is desperately unhappy. I recently read an article in Psychology Today called “7 Relationship Resolutions Worth Keeping”. I’ve decided my New Year’s resolution ...
Time and Space
Bill runs his own business devoted to strengthening the relationship between children and parents. He artfully taps into the desire children and parents have for wholehearted connectedness. Bill simply prompts parents to maintain time and space in the relationship schedule for it to thrive. Bill shares with his parent and child audience various conversation starters to help them to sharpen up their skills to have the hearty conversations that make for ...
‘How Was Your Day?’: Getting Your Kids to Answer this Simple Question
It's a simple question, but sometimes it's hard to get your children to answer it. Here's what I discovered works when asking my son about his day at school. "How was school?" "Good." "What did you get up to?" Silence. "Who did you play with?" Silence. My life has come to this. After years of begging my child to be quiet, now I'm pleading with him to talk to me! "You're ...
It Takes One to Tango
Many people believe that a good relationship requires equal effort from both husband and wife. And so, if your spouse is unwilling to change or invest more in the marriage then the relationship is doomed to lack-lustre intimacy or even steady deterioration. This is not necessarily the case, however. It only takes one person to tango! While it is certainly ideal to have both spouses fully invested and contributing to the ...
Why Your Marriage Matters
Have you ever stopped to think about the importance of your marriage? Marriage is hard; is it worth it? In this post, Guy looks at why your marriage matters and gives you some thoughts you would be wise to ponder... When I got married at 22 years old, I had the wrong idea about marriage. I don’t think it was an unusual idea. Deep down, I thought that marriage would make ...
Cherish
Cherish is a seven letter word and full of meaning. My first thought of the word is the way the NRL Grand Final winning team held onto the winners’ trophy, a trophy highly treasured by one and all. Perhaps the real meaning of the word cherish happened at the same event when Brian To’o put love into action. News.com.au puts us in the picture. Moments after the final siren, To’o found ...
Respect & Cherishment: How Men & Women Receive Love
What’s the Difference Between Respect and Cherishment? While everyone experiences love uniquely, some clear gender patterns have emerged through relationship research. In one study, when given the option between the negative choices of being ‘alone and unloved in all the world’ or ‘inadequate and disrespected by everyone’, 74% of men preferred being alone and unloved, compared to only a minority of women.* Further enquiry suggests that this gender pattern is relevant ...
A Widow’s Not-So-Simple Marriage Advice to Newly Weds: Cherish!
The best marriage advice I have ever received came from an 80-year-old, Scottish widow. Sitting beside her a few weeks before my wedding she told me, “The only marriage advice I’ll give you is this: cherish.” The word didn’t come with any commentary, and I would spend the next 23 years unpacking its meaning and value. My wife and I married young. We even recited vows that included the words, “to ...
We Just Want to Belong: Friendship
Although we all pursue it in different ways, friendship is a natural part of human life. It is critical that parents pray for their children to gain quality lifelong friends. When it comes to friendships I tend to be a drifter. I don’t actually have a best friend. My best friend is Jacob. I do have close relationships with friends that if there was ever a family emergency or a Birthday ...
