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Kids of Same-Sex Parents Benefit From Supreme Court Ruling

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On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States revealed their decision on the same-sex marriage case that had reached their court. The case was called Obergefell v Hodges. In short, the Justices of the Supreme Court ruled that marriage equality is the law of the land. Kids of same-sex parents benefit from this decision in so many important ways. The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license marriage between two people of the same sex. They also ruled the the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to recognize a same sex … Continue reading →

Building a Marriage on Dependency and Independence

I was recently reading an article that stated the key to a happy marriage was living separate lives.  That this is how you feel validated as an individual. What’s interesting about this is that in order to feel validated, you need to feel important and acknowledged.  That generally doesn’t come from within.  Sure, it should be a part of feeling validated as a person.  But since we are humans, we crave receiving this from others. Isn’t that where a spouse comes in? Don’t get me wrong.  I am not saying that you need to be so dependent on your mate … Continue reading →

Why Marriage Keeps Your Brain Healthy

The next time your spouse drives you absolutely crazy, keep in mind that he, or she, is probably helping to keep your brain healthy. That is because the challenges that our spouses give us, along with the love and support, may actually be protecting our brains. In fact, according to a recent study, sharing a life with another person means that we are less likely to develop cognitive impairment than single people who are not married. The study took place in Scandinavia and included 1,400 men and women. Married people are simply less likely to develop dementia than single people. … Continue reading →

5 Topics to Discuss before Marriage

How many couples do you know take the time to discuss money, children and other important issues before they get married? Maybe you jumped right into marriage without seriously considering some of these life-impacting issues. If you or someone you know is considering tying the knot, here are five topics that you should discuss before walking down the aisle. It could save a lot of conflict in the future. The first is children. Do you both want children? Nothing is more devastating than a couple getting married and one expecting to have children but the other one dead set against … Continue reading →

Do You See Your Marriage as a Commitment or a Contract?

This past weekend I attended a two day seminar at my church. It was a program called “Marriage on the Rock.” No, not marriage on the “rocks”…on the ROCK, as in strength and long-lasting. It was a great time of learning more about each other and ending it with a chance to renew your marriage vows. Since we just celebrated 20 years in September, it was quite fitting. One of the lessons that really stuck out to me was the whole idea of commitment. Too often instead of looking at marriage as a commitment, people tend to see it as … Continue reading →

Don’t Take It Out on Your Husband

Our family is a bit unique, in that my sister married my husband’s brother. So that means my sister is not only my sister but my sister-in-law. Confused? What this also means is that our families see each other a lot. We are so closely intertwined that it can be a blessing but it can also be a challenge. Take Thanksgiving…we have always had a rotation schedule. My sister and brother-in-law host Thanksgiving, while my family hosts Christmas. But this year, for reasons that don’t really matter, we are getting the task of hosting both. The pressure I feel in … Continue reading →

Marriage with Benefits

I can’t recall the context in which I heard it but not too long ago the phrase “friends with benefits” was mentioned. I had to stop and think about that for a moment. What I do know about this terminology is it means to have sexual relations without any ties. But I decided to look it up in the urban dictionary for more information. Specifically, it means to not only have a sexual relationship but to have it without being emotionally involved. I suppose this can happen but I find it difficult to believe. Deep down inside there must be … Continue reading →

Are You Selfish or Selfless in Your Marriage?

Let’s face it…it’s in our nature to be selfish. And our society sure knows how to fuel that. We expect instant results, instant gratification and instant service. Just about anything we want is at our disposal. So we have to be careful that we don’t take that into our marriages. One important component to a happy, successful marriage is selflessness. But I’m afraid that it’s not something we see demonstrated very often, so we may be unsure what that exactly looks like. To be selfless is to be the opposite of selfish. So it might include giving in on some … Continue reading →

Would You Be Happier to Be Thinner Than Your Spouse?

Would you be happier if you were thinner than your spouse? I recently read in “Health News” that a new study from the University of Tennessee found that women who had a lower body mass index (BMI) than their husband in the first few years of marriage were much more satisfied. What they discovered is that it really had less to do with how skinny the wife was and more to do with her BMI. They apparently followed 169 couples, from the beginning of their marriages through the next four years. Men were also more satisfied when they had lower … Continue reading →

Marriages Need Compromise

I think one of the most difficult things to do in a marriage, or in any relationship, is to compromise. Compromise means you are willing to do your part to make something work. It often requires that you give something up. Last week was one where compromise was greatly tested. My husband took a week of vacation, more or less just to use it up, along with the fact that our kids were on their first week of summer break. However I was not on break, so I still had a full workload. Of course, working from home has a … Continue reading →