Mike
Carruthers:
When a couple has children, things change.
Carol Bruess:
Couples often experience (and they're surprised to experience) the depths of dissatisfaction
with their marriage when they have young children. Carol
Bruess, author of the book What
Happy Parents Do, says often the belief is children will bring joy to the
marriage. And
they do bring great joy in many lives but children also demand a lot of our energy
and attention and a lot of couples end up turning away from one another when they
have young children - to the detriment of their marriage. So
successful couples find ways to stay connected so the relationship stays strong.
I'll share one
quick example; it's a couple who has their own private stash of one of their favorite
indulgences buried deep in the basement freezer. And after they put their kids
to bed, instead of date night or needing to go out, they sneak down to the basement
and dig out this frozen cookie dough that they have, and they sit on the floor
and they eat it and they talk. It's like their own little date night right in
their house. Developing
these little rituals can work magic in a marriage, says Carol, and it doesn't
necessarily take two people to get started. One
person can make a change and most often the other person will reciprocate in kind.
Even if not the first day, they will likely come to expect it, to enjoy it, and
start enacting the same kind of behaviors.
At
somethingyoushouldknow.net
I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.
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