Search Results for: how long should you date before marriage

Passion’s Place in A Marriage

Maybe I should stop expecting television to accurately portray life or romance, but I can’t help it. Media has a subtle yet powerful influence on our thinking, especially on younger folks, that just makes me want to address the issues it raises. Fox’s trendy new sitcom “New Girl,” starring Zooey Deschanel, just wrapped up its freshman season. In the last few episodes Deschanel’s character Jess breaks up with her boyfriend after having dinner with him and his ex-wife (something that was a bad idea in the first place). At the dinner she observed the formerly-married couple at each other’s throats, … Continue reading →

Getting Away With Your Spouse

It has been a very long time since my husband and I have gotten away together…without kids. So a few months ago we began planning for our upcoming 20th wedding anniversary. Our destination was Maine. We looked at cottages to stay in, entertainment (such as whale watching) and thought about eating our favorite food, seafood (only much fresher). We dreamed about stepping into the ocean. It was going to be a very romantic getaway. We even planned the dates we would go and my husband began looking at airfare. But then as the months began to pass by, medical bills … Continue reading →

Can You Really Put Your Spouse Before Your Children?

Have you ever been told that your spouse should be put before your children? Do you think that is even possible? I used to believe that was impossible. I looked at my relationship with my children as being so much more connected because they had come from me. Yet I had forgotten that I wasn’t alone in the process of creating life. My husband is just as much connected to them. I also thought that because they were so little for so long, what they needed from me couldn’t possibly be less than what I would give to my husband. … Continue reading →

Cats and Dogs Really Can Get Along

They’re as universal an example of opposites as up and down, day and night, right and left. Even the line “cats and dogs getting along” is sometimes used as a turn of phrase for unbelievable events. Thus there’s an idea out there that one has to be either a cat person or a dog person. One can’t love both equally, or one certainly can’t have both as pets without inviting a fur-flying frenzy into the home. At best they’ll get along by avoiding each other for the most part, and at worst they’ll need to be separated. Except that simply … Continue reading →

Retrace Your Steps

These days I find occasionally I set out to do something and then, by the time I get there, forget what it was I was planning to do. What do I do when this happens? I retrace my steps and go back to the place where I was when I thought of it. Often before I get there, I’ve remembered. It’s good advice for a marriage too to go back and to retrace our steps. This is especially important when things are not working as well as we’d like or are starting to be a bit rocky. Then it’s a … Continue reading →

A Blind Date Leads to Love and Years

I never went on a blind date, although I tried (unsuccessfully, I might add) to arrange one or two. But for one couple a blind date turned out to be just the beginning. That blind date was over 50 years ago. This year the couple, Nancy and James Hibbert of Australia, achieved something statistics show only about five percent achieve – they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. When asked the secret to a long and happy marriage the Hibberts, who live at Culburra Beach, replied ‘give and take.’ And really, that sums it up in a nutshell. That’s exactly the … Continue reading →

Are You The Same As You Were Before Marriage?

I only caught Part 2 of the Oprah “Why Men Cheat” controversy, but it’s sparking yet another blog. But instead of discussing why men cheat or how to affair-proof marriage, this time I’m going to talk about something else that was brought up as part of all this: behaving differently once married versus how you behaved prior to marriage. Behaviors During the show, Oprah defended M. Gary Neuman’s assessment that it made sense the husbands strayed because they weren’t getting something from their wives. Not that she was wagging her finger and saying, “Shame on you, you neglectful wives.” Quite … Continue reading →

Wearing Your Ring after Divorce

Dating, marriage, and divorce all seem to have many unspoken rules and characteristics. They almost have an etiquette all of their own. There are questions that people face over how long you should wait until you kiss, how long should you be engaged, and when it is okay to date again after divorce. In addition to these there are many many more dilemmas that relationships can bring up. One such question that I have to address to you today deals with divorce. In a previous article, I discussed a great new business that I discovered. The business sells miniature coffins … Continue reading →

Mixing Politics and Marriage

What a crazy race for the Presidency we’ve got going on with Election ’08, eh? This election more than ever it seems I’m noticing the wives and pondering the dynamics that dwell within certain households. For instance… The Clintons Hilary Clinton’s first to mind for a wife it’s impossible not to notice in this election. Hers might be the most unique situation of the race. (Heck, of many races in a long time.) It certainly is one of the most talked about, analyzed, and poked fun at. Never before has the wife of a former president been a candidate herself. … Continue reading →

Should You Play Matchmaker?

It is getting very close to Valentine’s Day. It is a time of the year for love and romance. It is also the time of the year for matchingmaking and setting up blind dates. It can be very hard to see friends and loved ones alone this time of the year. No one wants to think of anyone, especially those that they are close to, of being alone on Valentine’s Day. However, there are many things to think about before you begin to play cupid. Setting up your friend or family member may seem like a great idea. Yet when … Continue reading →