Three Tips for Trust
Relationships thrive when trust is strong. But how do we build it in the first instance, and then recover it if we’ve lost it? Here are three tips to help you build trust and hold on to it.
Protesting Against Disconnection
In one simple sentence, Dr Johnson nailed the foundation of couple arguments: “Arguments are a protest against disconnection.” It revolutionised our interactions.
Squish’s Grandparents Come to Town
For the last two weeks, Squish has been surrounded by all four of her grandparents. It was the first time Elsa had met my mum and dad, who flew in to the United States all the way from Australia.
Finding Authentic Male Friendship in a Loneliness Epidemic
As a man, I can speak to this deficit of male friendship. Many of us can say hello in passing, talk about the weather, and maybe discuss the latest sports news, but how many of our connections truly care about us and would be there when we need them?
Resurrecting Our Marriages
Easter Sunday – the high point of the Christian calendar celebrating Christ’s resurrection from the dead. What does this day, this event, have to teach us as married couples?
Criticism: The Not-So-Silent Killer
Criticism kills. It crushes self-confidence and poisons the trust between us. It also smothers self-growth by directing our energies to the wrong thing – what the other did or said, rather than our internal reaction.
A Letter to Our Baby’s Birth Mother
Squish will always know the story about her birth mother and will always be free to ask questions about how it all began.
How Expectations Set Us Up for Trouble
When we look back on our early romance, we note how quick we were to trust each other, even recklessly so. We dived into the relationship with ready abandon and little thought for the risks of rejection or disappointment. Since then, our trust levels have strengthened in many areas, and declined in others, as we’ve experienced ups and downs in our relationship. It leads us to ponder: what builds trust between ...
Like Parent, Like Child
The most powerful influence on a couple is their family of origin. Good or bad, our experiences in our childhood prepared us for marriage. The young couple sitting opposite us had been married only a few years. They were experiencing some health challenges, but this is not what brought them to us; they were locked in a perpetual low-grade argument that never seemed to end. They were so ‘wired’, almost every ...
The Unsurprise
‘Shhhhh,’ I whispered. ‘Don’t spoil the surprise.’ ‘Okay.’ He whispered back, conspiratorially, as we tucked hubby’s Father’s Day present away in the storage room. ‘Remember, it’s our secret, okay? Don’t spoil the surprise.’ I continued, shutting the door. Only to hear his excited footsteps on the stairs before I’d even had time to turn around! Letting Loose ‘Don’t spoil the surprise, Daddy!’ he called out, running as fast as his little ...
