Competition between spouses can be fun, energizing and healthy for the marriage. Keeping score to determine who won at golf, racquetball, scrabble, or a favorite video game makes absolute sense. Keeping score in other areas of marriage does not. But isn’t that just what we do? I’ve taken out the trash the last three times!...
Divorce affects children in a myriad of ways. Just because they don’t seem depressed or their grades don’t crash doesn’t mean they are unscathed by what is going on around them. As a matter of fact, more than one psychologist I consulted with when representing children (whose parents are going through divorce) has told me...
For some, the party is already planned for the night the divorce will be granted. But for many, no matter how much they wanted or didn’t want to be divorced, the actual day the marriage is legally severed is a tough one. It’s not only the official end of the marriage, it is also the...
Laugh, and the world laughs with you. More importantly, your spouse laughs with you. Just the words giggle, chuckle and chortle probably make you smile. Take it bigger with mirthful glee or bubbling laughter. Or over the top with a loud guffaw. Whether small, medium or large, laughter is good stuff! Making your spouse laugh...
We finally get our spouses to join us for that movie we’ve been wanting to see – our first date in ages – and then we run into one of those people. You know – the inconsiderate boob that ruins the movie for the rest of us. The one that refuses to turn off his...
Being the second wife can sometimes be a challenge. Especially when the new husband comes with children. As a Family Law Attorney, I’ve seen this handled two different ways. The easiest path, and the one that causes the least harm to the children, is if the adults act in a mature fashion and are...
Want to surprise your mate? Or hear a few painless ways to save a little money to be splurged on marital bliss? Wonder if that ‘truism’ you heard about divorce is really true? Want to stop an argument before it really gets going? Or maybe you’re just looking for a way to make you mate...
Notice I said “courthouse” and not “courtroom.” Most of us know what’s expected of us in a courtroom: hats off, gum out, manners on. We address the judge as “Your Honor” and are respectful to the other side – at least when the judge is actually in the room. What too many parties don’t realize...
After the recent post referencing Tom Cruise’s famous movie line “You complete me,” I heard from many of you who thought there was another Hollywood line that should be on the “Relationship Drivel” list: Love means never having to say your sorry. I agree – but I’m not the only one who does. Even the...
Well, more from Cutie Cooper dishing up marriage talk in today’s Friday Five.* Tell us what you really think, Cutie! On opinions: The time for having singularly strong opinions is when you are a single person. Once you choose to be one-half of a pair, you must compromise, so that no one person gets what...