Destruction That’s Good for Marriage
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!...
5 Ways to Help Your Child Through Divorce
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...
The Day of Divorce: How to Prepare
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 Your Way to a Longer Marriage
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...
9 Kitchen Habits that Cook Up Trouble in Your Marriage
I have already warned you how what happens in the bathroom – those little annoying habits that crop up – can harm a marriage. But annoying your spouse in the kitchen could be even more dangerous – there’s knives there! It’s often the little things that cause the biggest spats. Here are nine of those...
Do Us a Favor: DON’T Go to the Movies
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...
Is Your Marriage Like the Tree of 40 Fruits?
“Absolutely beautiful!” was the first thought I had when I saw the Tree of 40 Fruits. Then I read the behind-the-scenes story of how it came to be and listened to artist and professor Sam Van Aken, from Syracuse University, sum up his art-to-reality project. An actual tree that bears 40 fruits. How can that...
5 More Ways to Get His Ex to Hate You
Being a stepparent can be a complicated, challenging, and sometimes daunting relationship to navigate. And many of you are doing incredible jobs – prioritizing the children and providing good support for both your spouse and your spouse’s ex in the parenting department. Others out there? Not so much. When I posted How to Get His...
How to Get His Ex to Hate You
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...
Friday Five Roundup
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...