Yesterday we looked at some ways children’s behavior can affect and undermine a marriage. Here is another way. Some children, by their anti social behavior, affect friendships and marriages. Take this example, of a couple I know who invited another couple and their child over for dinner one evening. After dinner, the child who may have been hyperactive or maybe had a problem like ADHD started to swing on a tall piece of furniture which threatened to topple over. If it did it could have caused serious injury to the child and also have caused damage to the furniture and … Continue reading →

‘Is your child’s behavior threatening to destroy your marriage?’ That was the question asked on the forum recently. Can a child’s behavior affect a marriage? Yes it certainly can. Often this is the case in blended families, where a child will be negative or outwardly antagonistic or hostile towards the stepparent and try and do all they can to interfere in the marriage relationship. But this is certainly not the only case it can occur. Children have the ability to work our very early on which one of the parents is easier to con or get around. As a result … Continue reading →

Are you an interfering in-law or have you ever been on the receiving end of comments and the not so welcome actions or advice from interfering in-laws. It is something that can certainly be a problem. It can also be a fine line too between helping and interfering. Part of it may well come back to the relationship between the in-laws and the married couple in question. What can be seen as help sometimes from one person, may be viewed as interference by another. I recently heard of one grandparent who interfered in the upbringing of her grandchild by taking … Continue reading →

One of the huge problem areas is the rise of sexual assault on girls by young males. This is largely due to the influence of pornography. Statistics show 70 percent of boys has viewed pornography by age 12 and 100 percent of boys under 15. Much of it is coming over the internet. One of our members here recently found her 7 year old viewing pornography online. To me then it is obvious that one of the first things parents need to do is set up protection filters on computers so it is less accessible. If all of us parents … Continue reading →

‘Children need models not critics.’ These were the words I saw recently outside a school. They struck me as very true. Today we hear a lot from some older people about the younger generation and how they are not as well behaved, obedient, compliant, well mannered, or respectful as previous generations. Can I suggest that maybe there is a reason for that? It is far easier to criticize than it is to model a lifestyle. Instead of being critics maybe what is needed is modeling a positive loving marriage. What young people to see is cooperation, courtesy, kindness, respect for … Continue reading →