Yes, your child has been accepted! An excellent financial aid package, scholarship, work-study, or a combination of the three, I hope. He or she may be the first in the family to go to college or the first to attend college in the U.S. You've already warned them about the dangers of college life: sex, drugs, mindless recreational activities and the squandering of time. But … [Read more...]
4 Ways To Instill Courage, Persistence, and the Will to Achieve In Our Children
What I loved about being a classroom teacher was that I could teach beautiful brown girls and boys that looked like me some of the habits of success and life skills that served me well in my pursuit of love, happiness, and personal fulfillment. Earlier this week, as an administrator, I had to support the proctoring of some serious high-stakes State exams. And for some … [Read more...]
32 Ways to be The Spiritual Leader of Your Family
For many men there can be a level of anxiety that always is present when it comes to leading our family. That anxiety typically revolves around either not having a father as a role model or not having a good role model to pattern themselves around. So how does a man lead what he has never seen before? Tough question, and I don't know that anyone can really stand as an expert … [Read more...]
Man Officially Adopted 20 Years After Being Taken From Parents
It's never too late to adopt a child you feel is truly yours, right? Twenty years after being taken away from his foster parents, 32-year-old Maurice Griffin has been officially adopted. Abandoned as a baby, Griffin was adopted at age 3 by Lisa Godbold and her husband, Charles. However, by age 13, Griffin was taken away from them due to unidentified circumstances and placed … [Read more...]
Couples Spotlight: Marlon & Rashida Cohen
Marlon and Rashida met at church during a youth ministry meeting. She needed a ride home that night, he offered (it was late and raining), and the rest is history. They quickly became friends through different ministries in the church and have been married for almost seven years. Marlon has a background in sales and marketing, and Rashida is a Chiropractic Doctor who … [Read more...]
Couples Spotlight: Ainsley & Rachael Gibson
Rachael and Ainsley are our spotlight couple this week, both born and raised in Jamaica, currently residing in Maryland. This couple shares with us their experience getting married as a young couple, learning how to raise their kids in a completely different culture than what they’re accustomed to, managing busy professional careers, and the things that have helped keep their … [Read more...]
Interview with Nisa Muhammad, Founder of Black Marriage Day
Did you know that the black community has the distinction of the lowest marriage rate in America? Sixty-one percent of Black people were married in 1960, compared with the rate of thirty percent today. This is one reason that Black Marriage Day (BMD) was founded by Nisa Islam Muhammad, and is headquartered in the nation’s capital, Washington, DC. BMD is a national initiative … [Read more...]
8-Year-Old Boy Marries 61-Year-Old Woman to Honor Deceased Grandfather
At some point we all will or already have experienced pressure from family members to tie the knot, but you ultimately do it on your own time, right? In some cases, we actually want to do so, but the circumstances just aren't quite right. We haven't met the right one...finances are not right...There are tons of issues that keep us from the alter. For others, there is NOTHING … [Read more...]
The Importance of Communication
In real estate the one word that is heard most is location, location, location! The reason is the better the location of the property, the better chance it has to sell, which is the primary goal. Well in marriage, the one word you must remember is communication, communication, communication! The reason is the better the communication; the better chance your marriage has to … [Read more...]
Couples Spotlight: Anjuan & Aneika Simmons
If for any minute you doubt that there are truly happily married people out there, here is yet another beautiful couple to inspire you in your own marriage (or future marriage). Anjuan and Aneika met in college at the University of Texas at Austin. He studied Electrical Engineering, and she studied Management Information Systems. Although their college romance ended up not … [Read more...]
Why Did You Get Married?
Money? Some people choose their spouse according to the amount of money they earn. That person ranks financial security at the top of their list of desired qualities in a mate. The money person may feel as long as he or she has the money to live comfortably and buy the things they want, when they want, their goal has been achieved. He or she may feel financial security … [Read more...]
3 Ingredients for a Peaceful Blended Family
Have children from previous relationships? Wondering how to blend into one happy family? Here are some tips I found useful when I got married. I had a two year old son and my husband had no children, so he stepped into the role like a pro to help me raise my son. Excuse me, our son. Below are the three main requirements I’ve learned in the past 16 years that are essential for a … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Have an Effective Family Meeting
I was speaking with a couple the other day and they were catching me up on how things were going with them. Somewhere along the conversation they mentioned that they had, had a family meeting. The husband thought it was a colossal waste of time and the wife thought it was a great time of hearing everyone’s perspective. I wondered if they were at the same … [Read more...]
Do You Kiss in Front of Your Kids?
My kids always make disgusted faces when my husband and I kiss or hug. I catch the smirks and hear the “get a room!” comments, but I also see the smiles they try to hide from us. I don’t mind because I know they would rather see us kissing and hugging than yelling and throwing things at each other. I think kids should see their parents holding hands, kissing and hugging. This … [Read more...]
Dear BMWK: Is There Really a Such Thing as Privacy When it Comes to Marriage?
We recently received the following question/comment from one of our readers: “I read most of your articles you post. Your knowledge is very useful on a lot of different subject matters. I know a lot of married couples and one of the main issues I find hard to address or possibly answer is 'can privacy work in marriage without causing distrust?' I find this one of the #1 … [Read more...]