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Respect & Cherishment
What’s the Diff? 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 be alone and unloved, compared to only minority…
Read MoreDaily Appreciation
We all love to be appreciated. It feels good; it helps us to feel positive towards ourselves and towards the person expressing the appreciation. It is a genuinely loving gesture to express appreciation to another and, in marriage particularly, it is a positive relationship habit. Why is expressing appreciation of our spouse such a powerful…
Read MoreMarriage: to be happy or to be holy?
”… And they lived happily ever after”… it’s the ending of the fairy tale love story and has become the expected story line of most modern day couples. Swept away by passion and the overwhelming experience of ‘falling in love’, couples expect the wedding to seal their happiness in permanent (and effortless) marital bliss. Of…
Read MoreDaily Strongest Emotion
“Honey we need to talk!” Those five words strike unparalleled fear into a man’s heart. They usually mean an unpleasant message or a very long and arduous interaction. No wonder men dread these words! While women are marathon runners in the endurance conversation; men are optimised for the sprint encounter – fast, focussed, effective communication is…
Read MoreThe Language of Love
Natural fertility methods promote an attitude of shared responsibility for your fertility management and family planning decisions. The process of learning about your fertility and how to apply your knowledge will provide an opportunity for you as a couple to grow in your mutual appreciation of each other and your sexuality. Sexual intercourse is not…
Read MoreCohabitation #5: A Trial Marriage?
Cohabitating couples are often defensive about their lifestyle insisting that they are just as committed as a married couple. We continue the discussion here in part 5 of this series. By definition, cohabitation is a limited, conditional commitment. It is an arrangement which is understood to be putting the relationship to the test. Partners wisely…
Read MoreCohabitation #3: Commitment Delay
What impact does cohabitation have on the stability of the future marriage? In this third part of the series looking at why divorce is around 50% higher for couples who previously cohabitated we look at the phenomenon of Commitment Delay. It is well known that the age at first marriage is getting older. Over the…
Read MoreCohabitation #2: Commitment Creep
Cultural wisdom dictates that couples are sensible to live together before committing to marriage. Research demonstrates that in fact, this practice undermines the future marriage rather than supports it. This is the second in a series on cohabitation myths. As couples become more involved, their living arrangements become increasingly entangled. Shared possessions, friends, pets…
Read MoreCohabitation #1: Partner Choice
While popular wisdom suggests that a period of cohabitation before marriage is a sensible decision to ascertain compatibility, most people are surprised to learn that the practice actually increases the likelihood of divorce by around 50%. Over the next few issues, we’ll outline a number of reasons why cohabitation is actually counter-productive for a relationship.…
Read MoreMeet Your Spouse’s Love Needs & Avoid Your Spouse’s Love Busters
If you want to love your spouse well you’ll need to focus on meeting his/her love needs and avoiding his/her love busters. It’s pretty simple really… once you know what they are! So make an action plan: a. List your spouse’s top five Love Needs and top five Love Busters. (To find out more…
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