We can pick our friends, our lovers, and our spouses, but we cannot pick our family. They don’t even pick us, per se. Parents often plan to have children, but they don’t choose which one. They can’t. There’s no prize machine where they insert a quarter, then use a metallic claw to pick out their…
Because I’ve worked in stepfamily ministry for many years, I’m often asked about the term “Nacho Kids” or “Nacho Parenting.” This phrase, created, owned, and trademarked in 2013 by David and Lori Sims, came after they attended a marriage counseling session. They were struggling to blend her son and his 4 children into one household….
Grandparents are one of the best things that God created. They bring so much love into our lives and they love our families. Still, God didn’t just create them to spoil our kids. Grandparents have a unique role in the lives of our families and God has created them for some amazing reasons. 1. A…
The viral social media meme “777 rule for marriage” sounds clean enough to fit on a refrigerator magnet. One date every seven days. One overnight away every seven weeks. One vacation every seven months. It circulates on social media the way most relationship advice does — as a tidy formula for a complicated thing. And…
There is a moment, familiar to almost anyone who has loved someone long enough, when you hear yourself say something and think: that wasn’t me. The sharpness in your voice. The sarcasm that landed harder than you intended. You weren’t angry at your partner, not really — you were tired, or flooded with something older…
Starting therapy is a significant and often intimidating decision. Typically, this step is taken because you are navigating serious difficulties in your life. This could involve struggles in your relationships—with a partner, parents, or peers—or perhaps you are coping with a recent traumatic event, depression, or anxiety. It’s safe to say that most people seeking…
Creating romance is easier than you think. The post Your Recipe for a Perfect Valentine’s Date: The 3 Key Ingredients for Love and Passion appeared first on The Gottman Institute.
Newlywed bliss never reached the Garland household. Our first year was hard (and miserable) at times. We were navigating all the everyday challenges, like learning to tolerate each other’s quirky habits about leaving toothpaste caps unscrewed and refusing to use a thick bed comforter. But I was also plagued with undiagnosed Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (which spikes…
“We used to be intimate all the time. I don’t know what happened.” I hear this a lot from the couples I work with. Their relationship started out so passionate and romantic. Now, years later, they find intimacy lacking, and they are not sure why. Is the Honeymoon Over? Part of the reason is what…
I’ve been the woman sitting on the plush couch, tissue in one hand and hot green tea in the other, telling a mental health professional, “I don’t know who I am anymore. I’ve lost myself.” My identity crisis was birthed by postpartum depression. As a new mama with a four-week-old baby boy, I felt overwhelming…