Can This Marriage Be Saved?

Any attempt to justify feelings and encourage acceptance of the other's point of view typically goes nowhere, because each of them is convinced that he or she is right – and from their own perspectives, they are...

The recognition of differences need not be a source of frustration. In fact, it fosters personal growth. By seeking to understand your partner's viewpoint before expecting to have yours understood, you will reap the reward of a happier marriage...

It is important to recognize that you lost much more than your purse during the robbery. Even though the intruder is no longer present, you are still grappling with the sense of extreme vulnerability his uninvited presence created...

It's tempting to throw in the towel and give into despair. Nevertheless, it's important to remain objective, to step back and take an earnest look at the whole picture...

Researcher Dr. John Gottsman found that 69% of issues that couples disagree on early in marriage are not resolved later in the marriage. Sixty-nine percent!

During negative cycles, spouses often feel overwhelmed and hopeless. "I never should have married this person. I'll never experience true love." Usually, the sufferer waits for the spouse to somehow change the cycle. However, the wait can be a long one – sometimes endless. It's best to take matters into one's own hands...

At a crowded family table, nobody will notice if Mom and Dad don't have much to say to each other. Yet at a table set for two, there is nobody else's noise to hide behind...

The Talmud explains that smiling at someone is an even higher form of charity than giving him money, because the smile will enhance the recipient's well-being on every level of body and soul...

Too often, couples try to whitewash differences, and they may achieve a momentary illusion of peace. But spouses will feel diminished by holding back their true selves. Distance and distrust will result...

When we really listen and acknowledge another person’s pain, resentment or inner conflict, we give them a chance to talk more about what’s troubling them. The more they express, the more relief they’ll feel and the more clarity they’ll gain...

Spouses are known to behave badly at times. They whine. They nag. They criticize, complain, lecture and rant. They forget. They neglect their responsibilities. They neglect themselves. They neglect us!

Frequently ask, "What appeals to you about that idea?" To me, these seven words are the key to success. This phrase expresses love, which is based on a desire to understand

I find that my husband gives to me in a way that would probably satisfy his emotional needs, but leaves me feeling frustrated. How can I explain to him that my needs for intimacy and closeness are much stronger than his, and that I expect him to give to me on my terms and not his?

if you did not grow up with people who were so proactively working on their character traits, then you may have learned that the way to deal with stress is to slam doors, scream angrily, eat junk food, or freeze in depressive silence...

If a person is prepared for a challenge before it arises, he will have the tools to deal with it. But how can one deal with a situation before it happens?

Yes, all people are irritating and disappointing at times. Spouses will fail to return calls, fail to respond when we need them, and be slow, incompetent and moody at times. The only way to avoid being in a constant state of anger and resentment is to first have a change of heart...

Both husbands and wives can ask each other to change some aspect of their behavior in order to bring about improvement. This is not the same as trying to control one’s partner...

Marriage is a voluntary institution; a married individual must continually choose to stay with his or her partner. When kindness is abundant within the relationship, the choice to stay together is easy...

Over time, all spouses come to possess an intimate understanding of each other's imperfections. The question is how to prevent this familiarity from tarnishing the esteem and love a couple feels for each other...

Although children aren't stupid, this doesn't mean that they are able to properly digest and process all of the circumstances of their young lives...

Sometimes it seems like my husband and I can talk for hours – about literature, politics, or Jewish ideas we are studying. Yet other times, the simplest exchange, like who should've bought milk or who is driving carpool, can set off an argument...

My wife is still completely devastated. She talks about what happened on a regular basis, and I still catch her crying...

The relationship between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law is usually pretty tricky. There are a lot of underlying feelings for both women as they try to maintain importance in the same man's life...

Relationships are not sustainable without mutual respect, and its disappearance can result in the demise of the relationship...

Many statistics report that close to fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. The cause of this sad reality is puzzling. It is difficult to accept that half the population are such bad judges of character that they get it wrong and cannot tell that the person they are dating is the wrong one...

For love to be real and long term it must be built on a foundation of deep respect.