Marriage Partnership articles from September 2006

Marriage Partnership archives from September 2006

365 anniversaries.(Marriage Partnership)(Editorial)
September 22, 2006... I just received the best e-mail from a friend. Given the dismal state of marriage and how few people are staying together, she says, we need a reason to celebrate. So she forwarded me a list of 365 days, which somebody out in internet land...

A new beginning.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 22, 2006... My husband of 25 years passed away, and I'm remarried to a man who was widowed after 28 years of marriage. So it was interesting to read "Sex the Second Time Around" (Summer 2006). I had a positive sexual experience with my first husband. Now...

Planting hedges.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 22, 2006... "8 Safeguards Against Getting too Close" was so practical and applicable. As a military chaplain, I see extended separations because of deployments provide ample opportunity for spouses to develop "convenient" friendships. These "hedges" author...

Yes, no, or maybe so?(letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 22, 2006... When I read "He Says 'No' to Kids" (Couple Counsel) I was struck that the Olivers didn't hone in on a telling word in the woman's letter: maybe. She said she felt duped, because when she and her husband talked about kids before they got...

Leaving and cleaving.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 22, 2006... I'm a South African living with my husband in the Netherlands while he gets his Ph.D. I was hoping to go home for Christmas, but since he has to finish his studies and begin a new job, that won't be possible. I feel lonely with a busy husband...

Carve out couple time.(couple minutes)(Cover story)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Does your relationship with your spouse fall to the bottom of your to-do list? Here are some suggestions to keep romance alive. Schedule special rituals, Devote a certain time of the day to just the two of you. Mark it on your calendar just...

A new song.(devotional quality of wife)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD (Psalm 40:3). There's a cascading effect to God's grace: As we grow in understanding its power in our lives, we can turn...

7 rules for real estate.(couple minutes)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Keep these tips in mind when you and your spouse start looking for a new home: 1. Location, location, location. It's better to buy a smaller home in a desirable area than a large home in an area no one wants (or will want). 2. Ask...

What's love got to do with it?(marital happiness in emotional engagement for women)(Survey)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Plenty, according to a study conducted by University of Virginia sociologists W. Bradford Wilcox and Steven L. Nook. Drawing on a sampling of more than 5,000 couples, Wilcox and Nock found the most important factor determining a woman's marital...

Facts of married life.(from Lisa Whelchel and Steve Cauble)(Interview)
September 22, 2006... While playing "Blair," a self-centered rich girl on the '80s hit TV show "The Facts of Life," Lisa Whelchel never could have predicted she'd eventually leave acting to become a mother of three, and best-selling author including her recent,...

Decisions, decisions.(couple minutes)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Choosing a restaurant can be a source of frustration for many couples. How often has this conversation played out at your house: "Where do you want to go?" "I don't know, where do you want to go?" Next time you find yourselves at a...

How do you and your spouse decide on a restaurant?(couple minutes)
September 22, 2006... I dive into the coupon book while my husband thinks of favorite places we enjoy. Then we discuss restaurants we're interested in and rate them on a scale from 0 (don't want that tonight) to 5 (love it). The restaurant with the highest score...

Safeguarding against pornography.(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... With the internet oil home computers, pornography has become just a mouse click away. Though traditionally viewed as a men's issue, a growing number of women have admitted to struggling with this addiction. Pornography Awareness Week (October...

Piece by piece.(that thing we do)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... For our first wedding anniversary, my husband, Mark, took me to a Thomas Kinkade gallery. While I enjoyed all Kinkade's works, one particular painting caught my attention. "Did you see Spring Gate?" I asked him on the way home. "I'd love to...

Creating an Intimate Marriage.(between the covers)(Creating an Intimate Marriage: Rekindle Romance Through Affection, Warmth and Encouragement)(Brief article)(Book review)
September 22, 2006... Creating an Intimate Marriage by Jim Burns (Bethany House). Remember the courtship stage of your relationship? When everything was moonlight strolls and romance? Jim Burns wants you to rediscover that sense of AWE, by helping you create more...

Every Woman's Marriage.(between the covers)(Brief article)(Book review)
September 22, 2006... Every Woman's Marriage by Shannon and Greg Ethridge (WaterBrook). Many women enter marriage with the romantic notion that saying "I Do" will bring happiness from this day forward till death do us part. In the latest book in the Every Woman...

Breaking the Cycle of Divorce.(between the covers)(Brief article)(Book review)
September 22, 2006... Breaking the Cycle of Divorce by John Trent (Tyndale House). MP advisory board member and a child of divorce, Dr. John Trent knows first hand the obstacles ACOD (Adult Children of Divorce) have when contemplating marriage. Many ACODs believe...

Put a lid on it.
September 22, 2006... Tired of those same old arguments with your mate over leaving the toilet seat up? Or worse yet, stumbling, half-asleep into the bathroom for a middle-of-the-night pit stop--and falling in? Now you can put an end to the debate with the Harmony...

How could he lie to me? I'd never keep secrets from him. Would I?
September 22, 2006... One Saturday afternoon six months into my marriage, noticed my husband's business credit card statement lying on the kitchen table. On it I spied a $55 personal charge to a golf store. Fifty-five dollars may not seem like much, but we'd both...

Last on his list: when his work became too demanding, James and Elizabeth Rock had to schedule some together time.
September 22, 2006... Elizabeth's side: His work devours our time together James and I met at Bair Lake Bible Camp in 1987. It was love at camp site. We were married five years later. Since then, we've given 15 years of our lives to a camping ministry. Camp...

His sister won't move out!(couple counsel)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... I'VE BEEN MARRIED TWO YEARS, and during that entire time, my husband's sister has lived with us. She moved in to finish college and is now looking for a job, but seems content to stay in our home. She has no social life, so she's always around....

She doesn't need to work.(couple counsel)
September 22, 2006... Q. After ten years of marriage and rearing our three children, my wife wants to get a job outside our home. Although I reluctantly agreed, I'm having a difficult time adjusting. When I was growing up, I lived in a one-income family where my...

He keeps moving us.(couple counsel)
September 22, 2006... Q. We've moved 16 times during our 18 years of marriage. My husband says each move is to find a job with more opportunity. When I bring up my desire to settle down, he promises we can stay, so I become involved in church and the community. Then...

Transitions: when change and uncertainty come, renew your marriage.
September 22, 2006... In many parts of the world, fall is the most colorful season of the year. The hills are painted with swatches of yellow, red, orange, and burgundy. Most of us enjoy nature's work of art. What we don't usually talk about, but know without a...

I want to be happy: I discovered that wasn't too much to ask for in my marriage. It was too little.
September 22, 2006... "How could he do that to you?" I asked angrily. My friend's husband--a Christian--had just told her he was in love with another woman. "It's not all his fault," my friend admitted. "I helped chase him away by demanding he change so I could...

Bounce back: the secrets to building resilience in your marriage.
September 22, 2006... "Last week Sara got so mad she threw her shoe at me. It missed my head by about three inches!" Larry said. "At the time I thought he deserved it, Sara admitted. "But the fact that I could do that really scares me! I feel as if our marriage is...

Homer & Marge & Dave & Jana: the Simpsons as our role models? D'oh!
September 22, 2006... I guffaw at "The Simpsons," now the longest running TV sitcom at 17 seasons. My wife, Jana, is annoyed by it. I, obviously, get the cartoon sitcom. Billions can't be wrong, I say. "The Simpsons" are now so embedded in American culture, you can...

When marriage meets cancer: three couples who faced the challenges of a life-threatening illness: would my mate leave me?
September 22, 2006... By Amy Givler M.D. My husband, Don, told me I had cancer. Well, he confirmed it, really. Two days earlier, on April 6, 1993, I'd found lumpy, hard growths on my neck. Since I was a physician, I examined myself right away. What could...

4 communication firecrackers: and how to avoid them.(communication between husband and wife )
September 22, 2006... Late one fall evening while my sons and some neighborhood boys were busy burning leaves, a creative idea flashed into my sometimes-immature male mind: Why not throw firecrackers into the fire to see what happens? I went into the house,...

"Baby, I wouldn't trade you for a sow and seven pigs." My husband's idea of romance didn't exactly sweep me off my feet.(romance decreases after some years of marriage)
September 22, 2006... "Ole King Kong was a little bitty monkey compared to my love for you." This is my husband's attempt at amore. He thinks he's quite the Romeo when he quotes this line from a song by country singer George Jones. I think he expects me to be...

Perfect bodies equal perfect sex and other lies we believe.
September 22, 2006... I remember feeling queasy the first time I heard the idea: if your love life seems stale, send the kids to a neighbor's house, prepare a candlelight dinner, and greet your man at the front door swathed only in Saran Wrap. First of all, Saran...

Is your spouse stressed at work? 9 things you can do to help.
September 22, 2006... Watching your spouse struggle with prolonged stress at work can be like a long roller coaster ride, Each day brings a new dip or turn produced by the irritability and frustration your partner brings home from work. No one wants to watch...

Forget me not: a virus threatened to take Chris Maxwell's life. Instead, it took his mind, and left Chris and Debbie scrambling to pick up the pieces.
September 22, 2006... The week of March 6, 1996, started out normal for Chris Maxwell. The driven pastor of a small, tight-knit church, he lived in Orlando with his wife, Debbie, and their three sons, Taylor, Aaron, and Graham. But within days, Chris began to suffer...

"Ready or not ...".(intercourse)
September 22, 2006... I CLIMAX FASTER THAN MY WIFE. In order to balance the problem, I try to stop or pause our intercourse when I get close. But that affects her and she's unable to climax. What do we do? A: Great news for couples who struggle with a fast...

Breast sensitivity.(breastfeeding)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Q: I have six kids and lost breast sensation after my fourth. Can breastfeeding cause this? It's frustrating to both my husband and me because I'm no longer sexually stimulated when he touches my breasts. I've talked to several people and they...

Sexual experimentation.
September 22, 2006... Q: My husband has expressed a desire to experiment sexually. Are there any positions or types of sex (such as oral sex) that are unacceptable, assuming, of course, that we aren't talking about pornography or anything that violates our fidelity...

Simple words: praying with my husband is wonderful--but it didn't start that way.(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Early in our marriage, prayer with my husband, Jim, made me uncomfortable. I'd find every excuse to avoid it. But our small group leader had encouraged us to pray together in order to grow closer to God and each other. So when Jim wanted to try...