One of the key ingredients for any marriage is honesty. It’s challenging building a life with someone we love but can’t trust. Usually when we think about “honesty”, we believe it only covers those substantial situations, like being truthful about finances, how we feel about one another and whether or not we’ve been faithful. We rarely consider the impact of not being honest in … [Read more...]
6 Things You Are Saying But Your Man Isn’t Hearing
Ok ladies, I know sometimes you think that we, as men, have selective hearing and we don’t listen to anything you say. The truth is that there are just certain things you say, but we just HEAR something entirely different. Here are a few phrases that get lost in translation. "We Need to Talk" These are the absolute WORST words to any man's ears, especially when they come from … [Read more...]
Why Reading the 5 Love Languages Might Save Your Relationship
Several weeks ago, I was meeting a good male friend of mine for coffee after having not seen him for several months—except on Facebook. We caught up on what’s been happening in our lives and then got onto the subject of family. He has two adorable young boys and a wife he would lay down his life for. But when I asked him how his wife was doing, his answer shocked me: “Not too … [Read more...]
4 Moments in a Relationship When You Should Shut Up and Just Listen
Too much noise causes confusion. Noise can be anything that distracts us from being productive, whether in our relationship or life in general. Yelling and negative body language both fall into that category. It is more difficult to arrive at a solution when we are unable to concentrate or remain focused. Our natural instinct, to defend our position, usually results in … [Read more...]
Unspoken Expectations: How You May Be Setting Your Spouse Up for Failure
Prior to getting married, I had several expectations of my eventual wife. I had set a schedule of day-to-day chores, how arguments were to go, what my wife was to do for our home, our family, and me and how we were to behave in bed (don’t lie, you did this too). Unfortunately, I did not share any of these expectations with my wife before or after marriage. They were … [Read more...]
5 Bad Behaviors that Have No Place in Marriage
Let's face it. Getting married is easy. It's the staying happily married that can sometimes be challenging. What I've found is that sometimes we become comfortable and aren't as diligent, as we were when we were dating, in trying to keep the harmony. If you are feeling like your husband just doesn't listen to you or doesn't understand your needs, even when you voice them, … [Read more...]
Sometimes I Feel Powerless in My Marriage
We’ve heard it time and time again - communication is the key to a good marriage. And while communication may not be the only component to a long lasting holy matrimony, it’s definitely one of the main pillars. I know as the husband, my opinion matters in our household. It matters mostly because my wife has an open ear for most of my issues. I also know my wife works very … [Read more...]
3 Tips On How To Better Understand Your Partner
You hear it all the time, how men and women simply don't operate the same. Men are known to be creatures of logic, and women are seen to be driven more by emotion. Is this really the case? Are we really built differently? My answer is an emphatic YES! These differences do exist in most cases, and have contributed to the ongoing communication gap that plagues our … [Read more...]
4 Bad Listening Habits that Are Impacting Your Relationship
We all have them; bad habits that is. Some influence how hard we work, others affect how neat we keep our space, yet others completely alter our relationships and marriages. The habits that affect our marriage is where I’d like to focus. Being in a relationship requires certain behaviors from both people involved. How we speak, handle our anger and show affection, all have the … [Read more...]
3 Reasons Why He Just Won’t Listen
Is this guy stupid or is he just stupid? I mean seriously, how many times do you have to repeat yourself in order for him to "get it". Why is it always a hassle to get this man to do some of the simplest things. How ungrateful is this guy when you give him so much, yet you have to pull teeth to get some movement out of him. This is just plain ridiculous, but you know what, … [Read more...]
11 Things You Should Know About Your Spouse if Your Marriage is Important to You
Lately, I've been writing a lot about physical intimacy, which of course is extremely important in a marriage. However, couples can’t neglect the other key ingredients for a healthy partnership. It's great to connect with our spouse physically, I recommend it, but a physical attraction or desire shouldn't be the only means of uniting a couple. Married partners should be … [Read more...]
3 Communication Alternatives for a Spouse Who Doesn’t Open Up
Communication challenges in relationships are extremely common. A great deal of concerns are centered around one partner not sharing enough or failing to discuss the issues bothering them most. As you might imagine, this leaves the other partner frustrated and questioning the foundation of the relationship. Communication or lack thereof can make or break a partnership. What … [Read more...]
4 Ways You May Be Hurting Your Man’s Feelings and Didn’t Even Know It!
PSA: MEN ARE SENSITIVE! "Everything a man does in this world is to please a woman!" From childhood, little boys gravitate towards their mothers and seek to please them. Disappointing mom would hurt a boy to his core. Well, the same things holds true in adulthood. As men, we seek to please our wives. And as masculine as we might be and as tough as we come off, our weak spots … [Read more...]
5 Things My Husband May Not Know About Me
My husband and I don’t typically keep secrets from each other. We have been friends for years, and although I learn something new about him all the time, I feel like I know what I need to know. I know his character, his values, his work ethic, his faith and all the other important things that made him the man I chose to marry. But does he know everything he needs to know … [Read more...]
Does a Happy Wife Always Lead to a Happy Life?
One of the most common phrases I’ve heard about how to make a marriage last is "happy wife, happy life". Rarely do the people who use this phrase explain what they mean, but one common translation is summed up by advice President Obama gave a husband at a campaign stop during his 2012 reelection bid: “Just do whatever she tells you to”. Conflating a wife’s happiness with her … [Read more...]