Marriage & Family: Marriage: Communication
Helping couples grow their marriage through biblical principles
while living in the real world with real issues.
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The No-Kid Zone
Couple together time had become family together time.
My husband, Lonny, and I were busy. Our Suburban yo-yoed in and out of the driveway as directed by the loaded calendar on the kitchen wall. We shuttled our five sons through five weekdays and didn't pause for breath on the weekends. Piano lessons. Middle school track. Bible league. Pee Wee baseball.
We bolted from activity to activity and stopped ...
Related Topics: Dating, parenting, Partnership
My Husband and Mrs. Quidd
We have a new friend in the family. With her charming British accent, helpful demeanor, and knack for perfect timing, Mrs. Quidd, as we fondly call her, has changed the way we do things around here. No, we haven't hired a housekeeper. My husband purchased a portable GPS (global positioning system). And the ramifications are staggering.
On its first day out of the box, my husband and I headed out the ...
Timing Is Everything
People used to feel sorry for Rich and me because of our work schedules. Now they're envious.
If only they knew.
While we dated and when we were first married, I was working a normal eight-to-five office job. Meanwhile, Rich worked 4 p.m. until midnight or later, but with Saturdays and Sundays off, although our weekends didn't start until he awoke around noon. And that was the extent of our time together: ...
Related Topics: Companionship, Compromise, Conflict resolution, Time management
Communication Mis-match
A few weeks ago my friends and I had a chick-chat lunch (you know the kind—salads and iced tea all around, plus a healthy helping of husband tattling). Five of us were pouring on our dressings (served on the side, of course) when Cindy, a petite blond seated across from me, said, "Scott had me all excited about our anniversary last week. He kept telling me about these 'secret plans' for the ...
Why Does My Spouse Make Me So Angry?
I muttered to myself, "If only Larry would be the man I expected, I wouldn't be so angry. It's his fault." We'd been married seven years and I feared our marriage wouldn't survive. I pleaded with God to change Larry—to make him work less and not be so interested in his flying hobby. Every time he flew without me, my anger increased. I repeated over and over, "It's all his fault!"
But then God ...
Needless Needling
We have friends, a married couple named Don and Lee Ann, who are notorious for ruining most any event to which they're invited—and even the ones they host. In fact, my husband, Rich, and I refer to them privately as "The Needlers" because their behavior is so much like the characters in that recurring Saturday Night Live sketch.
If you haven't seen it, SNL's Needlers are a couple who constantly ...
Healthy Conflict?
"I don't get why you're pressuring me to go to that stupid meeting," Chip told his wife, Cheryl.
Cheryl stared at him. "Pressuring you? I just asked if you'd be willing to go with me. It'll only take an hour. Why is that such a problem for you?"
"Because you 'asked' me in that tone of voice that says I'll be in real trouble if I say no."
"What?" Cheryl said. "Why do you always make such a big deal about ...
"You Look Fine"
"How does this outfit look on me?" my wife, Dale, asked one morning as I was heading for the shower.
"It looks functionally adequate and gives you some protection from the elements," I replied. "The colors may be a bit mismatched, and the shoes are almost comically wrong, but if you tell the other women that you have a severe vision impairment, they may show you some sympathy."
At least, that's what ...
Let's Give Him Something to Talk About
While we were dating and early in our marriage, Steve and I talked for hours, sometimes late into the night. As the years passed, however, he backed off. When we did talk, we ended up arguing, or it seemed he kept conversations superficial. I often wondered, Why doesn't he talk to me anymore?
Then I discovered, through trial and error, that I was engaging in conversation-stoppers such as being a bad ...
Related Topics: Communcation, with Spouse, Male Mind, Marriage
Saving Grace
Have you ever noticed the uncanny ability your spouse has to spot all the unholy aspects of who you are?
Before I was married, God said, "Mike, you have some rough edges. To help you become more Christ-like, I'm giving you Karen. That should do the trick."Â
...
I don't want to acknowledge that there may possibly be ugly things within me, so instead I strike back: "How dare you point out those things? ...
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