There's something about a great proposal and you want in. You've seen couples who are doing marriage right and you think you've met "the one." After seeking out marriage advice on google, from your pastor, and your closest married friends, you took the next step. "Will you marry me" has been asked and answered in the affirmative and you're preparing to walk down the aisle. But … [Read more...]
Unhappy Marriage Signs: Why You Need More Than Love to Stay in Your Marriage
We’ve all had relationship problems. I know my husband and I have. Even that super happy couple you know has their own stuff going on. And if they tell you they don’t, it’s either all a front or a way to keep you out of their business. Unhappy marriage signs are not always readable. But having issues to manage doesn’t mean a relationship is in trouble. It just means the people … [Read more...]
20 Essential Elements for a Happy Marriage – Your Must-Have Checklist
I think lists are awesome. How would I get anything done without a list? I’ve tried and I can tell you that although things still get done, it’s a whole lot harder. I forget stuff. I don’t do things in a timely manner. And worst of all, I end up feeling a lot more stressed than I would have if I had just used a darn list. With that in mind, I hope this list of 20 elements for a … [Read more...]
10 Principles for a Better Marriage in 2019
Whether you like to make New Year's Resolutions or not, now is as good a time as any to take stock of your marriage, assess how things went this past year for you and your spouse and set marriage goals for the upcoming year. For a better marriage, you should determine what are the strengths in your marriage and what areas need improvements? What actions are you going to … [Read more...]
10 Best Book Picks For Black Women To Read About Self-Love, Money, And Career
I love books, and I'm always on the hunt for the best self-improvement books. Despite all of the things that pull my attention on any given day, I make it my business to DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) at least two times a day. I get my reading fix in during my hour commute to work and my hour and fifteen commute from work. That said, here are some of the best self-improvement … [Read more...]
6 Free Marriage eBooks You Need To Download Now
These free eBooks to read are great for your marriage. As we discuss on the site frequently, you need to nurture your marriage to keep it healthy. One way to do that is to keep adding tools to your marriage toolbox. Free eBooks to Read for a Healthy Marriage 1. 5 Things You Need To Know About Marriage This free eBook contains five of the most popular articles from … [Read more...]
Racial Tension is Hurting My Marriage: How Can I Support My Black Husband?
Dear Dr. Buckingham, I have been reading your articles for some time and decided to write because I feel that you are a logical professional who gives good practical guidance. I am a white woman and I am married to a black man. We have been married for ten years and have two wonderful children. I love my children and my husband, but our marriage is in trouble because of the … [Read more...]
How Can We Keep Our Marriage Steamy While Parenting?
Dear Dr. Buckingham, My husband and I are arguing often because of our parental and marital obligations. We both realize that we have to take care of our 3 children, but we are feeling more distant. Our marriage is slowly fading into the wrong direction. We are having trouble balancing our responsibilities. How Can We Keep Our Marriage Steamy While Parenting? Wife and … [Read more...]
My Marriage Has Died: What Can I Do to Resuscitate It?
Dear Dr. Buckingham, Where do I begin? I have been married for 19 years and I don't know where my marriage stands! At year 12, my husband was arrested then later sentenced to 10 years! Before his sentence, while out on bail, we both got jobs and lease to purchase a home. The marriage was strong and loving! During his sentence (he did 5 1/2 years) so much happened: I lost … [Read more...]
Top 3 Things that 18 Years of Marriage Have Taught Me
Anniversaries are super special in my house. I would never have imagined being married to my husband for eighteen years. Real talk, my parents didn't even think my husband Don and I would remain married past the first six months. They expressed this to us more times than I can count. Why would my parents think this, let alone have the nerve to verbalize this to us? Well, the … [Read more...]
How to Stay Together When Your Family and Friends Want You to Divorce
For years, my husband Don and I had an extremely rocky marriage. During those tumultuous years, I confided in a lot of girlfriends. I told them everything he did and did not do. I was painting a picture of him that had them not speaking to him or wanting to be around him. When things were at their worst, I ran my mouth. Straight up. I even convinced myself that I was going … [Read more...]
Why Fighting For My Marriage is the Best Thing I’ve Ever Done
A few years ago, Don and I were at a crossroad in our marriage and we had to decide if we were going to remain married even though we didn’t like each other. It was not easy to live with this question hanging over my head nor was it pretty. The realization that we did not like each other was painful, but we had no idea how to break from it. One day, we decided to have a … [Read more...]
5 Signs Your Marriage is Going to Be OK
Have you ever gotten to a point in your marriage where you thought you and your spouse would never overcome a certain situation? So many marriages reach a period of time where the couple may question everything about their union. Stress, disagreements and just life can easily take us to a negative space where we begin to think our marriage just isn't working. However, I … [Read more...]
Seven Strategies that Saved My Marriage
I’m going to be totally honest with you: sometimes, I am annoyed when folks say they want a marriage like mine and Don’s. What they don’t know is that we experienced many ups and downs in our marriage. The 'downs' seemed to last forever. We’ve experienced the difficulties of blending a family, numerous periods of unemployment, a child going to jail, alcoholism and an emotional … [Read more...]
Dafnette & Jumaine Jones: How Embracing the Waiting Room Led to the Biggest Blessing in Their Marriage
Jumaine and Dafnette Jones are speakers, authors, and leaders. They have been speaking to audiences for over 20 years, both individually and as a couple. When we asked them about their love story, Dafnette & Jumaine share how they met through a mutual acquaintance...by accident. And, what started out as a friendship, ended up in courtship and the two were married in March … [Read more...]