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A lasting marriage - some useful tips.
My parents gave me this advice about marriage. They have been married since the 1960s and are still happily married to each other.
In marriage, when an argument is about to blow up, remember that takes 2 hands to clap. When one party is angry,...
e-Book on Russian Women (Part 4)
Russian Women in the Home It has traditionally been the role of RW to carry out duties in the home. And herein may lie a potential problem for the expectation between the RW and western husband may differ. Foreign men may read all the different...
How Optimism Can Help - Or Hurt - Your Marriage
Beth and Tom were happily married for over 25 years – no small feat in today’s world. At first, their friends could not understand how their marriage succeeded, due to numerous perceived shortcomings.
However, closer scrutiny of their marriage...
How to Choose a Marriage Counselor
You have made the decision to contact a marriage counselor. The next question is “How to choose the right marriage counselor?” The success of your counseling experience will relate directly to your compatibility with your counselor. Before you...
Living in LOVE : Remembering why you married
The kids are yelling, the dog is barking, and you just found out that your spouse forgot to do the one thing that you needed them to do today…again! This scenario may sound typical for your family, or your scenario could be worse. Maybe you...
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Infidelity Excuse: I fell out of Love...and just love being in love
I find this dilemma rather common for younger couples, probably mid or late 30s and younger.
Usually one reports, “falling out of love” and is truly disturbed by this shift. He/she (and this is not merely a female problem!) wants to “recapture” those feelings.
This person has found a “significant other” who has stirred those dormant feelings and this person once again “feels in love.”
They are determined not to “settle” for a less than an ideal relationship, which means, of course, feeling the love feelings.
Here are some Key Points for this kind of affair. (The 6 others are outlined in my E-book.)
1. Unfortunately, our culture (movies, songs, romance novels, soap operas, romance comedies) teaches us that this is how it’s supposed to be. “Falling in love” is the norm – the implication being, that if it doesn’t happen, or if it goes away, something is wrong – with you, your spouse or the marriage. A good relationship must first unlearn a great deal.
2. The person who was driven to find “that loving feeling” (reminds me of a song…) usually experiences a high degree of guilt and conflict. He/she is often married to a “good” person and the desire to “find that loving feeling” seems selfish (which it is) and immature (which it is). Intuitively (and this person usually has a great deal of intuition and sensitivity) it is known at another level that he/she is not on the right path.
3. This person usually has a need for drama and excitement. Life easily becomes a soap opera. Emotional juice from the fall-out of emotionally intense relationships reigns rather than living life from the core of who one is.
4. There is little understanding, or perhaps healthy models, of the shifts needed as a relationship matures. For example, “falling out of love” usually happens when the attractors become the distracters. For example: His love for fun and spontaneity, which drew her initially to him, becomes irresponsibility. Her stability and calm, which drew him initially to her, become control.
5. The person “looking for love” is actually looking for the ideal, someone out there, who will project back to him/her
that he/she is OK. No, more than OK, close to perfect.
6. This person needs to be adored, or think another adores him/her, because there is a lack of inner strength and solid identity. The other becomes my world, because I lack a world. Being “in love” is the panacea for my emptiness.
7. Sexual intercourse does not need to be a part of these relationships. Sexual activity may indeed END the relationship or at least move it to the point where the attractors become, again, the distracters. The idealized images may be held together by long phone calls, gifts, holding, love letters, e-mails, etc.
8. This type of affair often occurs when there is a “lull” in the marriage relationship. The responsibility of raising children, starting and maintaining a career, paying bills, etc. become the focal point for the couple. Romance becomes a foreign word. People are especially vulnerable for this type of affair after the children are in school and/or the oldest child reaches early adolescence. (There are good reasons for this, from a family systems perspective, but I won’t get into that here.)
Tip: If your spouse is struggling with this type of relationship, make sure you hold and care for your self. Your spouse does not have the capacity to do this for you (or anyone) at this point. Yes, you are ok. Her/his affair says less about you and much more about the emptiness within her/him. It is time for you to know you better. Model for him/her what it means to be a person with a core, with integrity, with boundaries, with values, with meaning, with purpose and actively figure out what your needs are, and get them met. Maybe she will ask questions. Maybe she will not. Maybe soon. Maybe later.
For more information on the different kinds of affairs, what causes them, the probabilities of them ending a marriage and what you can do about it, visit my site.
Dr. Robert Huizenga, The Infidelity Coach, has helped hundreds of couples over the past two decades heal from the agony of extramarital affairs and survive infidelity. Visit his website at: http://www.break-free-from-the-affair.com
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Marriage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Marriages are generally publicly declared in the context of a wedding ceremony. ... The term wedlock is a synonym for marriage, and is mainly used in the ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Marriage Builders ® - Successful Marriage Advice |
Provides answers and insight to questions about infidelity, marriage counseling, and divorce. A free support forum is also available. |
www.marriagebuilders.com |
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Christian Marriages - Families Christianity Free Newsletters Sex ... |
A biweekly newsletter, published by Christianity Today, that provides information and articles of interest for couples. |
www.christianitytoday.com |
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Marriage -- THE starting place for exploring marriage |
Useful links, and weekly feature articles on making your marriage the best it can be. Chat room and bulletin board also onsite. From About.com. |
marriage.about.com |
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Marriage - Wex |
Today the underlying concept that marriage is a legal contract still remains ... Entering into a marriage changes the legal status of both parties and gives ... |
www.law.cornell.edu |
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Smart Marriages |
Clearinghouse: The latest EASY-TO-USE information to make your marriage or realtionship successful, sexy, and satisfying. |
www.smartmarriages.com |
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University of the Family - Marriage Ministries International |
Marriage is the foundation of the family. When the relationship is hurting, the family is hurting. Couples seek counseling and counseling and are often ... |
www.marriage.org |
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USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts |
Marriage in Islam has aspects of both 'ibadah (worship) of Allah and mu'amalah ... The Prophet considered marriage for a Muslim as half of his religion ... |
www.usc.edu |
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Marriage Records - First Comes Love - Portland, Oregon |
Tonight (Wed Nov 29) Marriage’s own old intern Cole Miller and Glacier Park’s Jessie Slavich are playing at Valentine’s (232 SW Ankeny) downtown at 8pm. ... |
www.marriagerecs.com |
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National Marriage Project Home Page |
Research, education, training and advocacy to strengthen the institution of marriage. |
marriage.rutgers.edu |
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UKBMD - Births, Marriages, Deaths Indexes & Census transcriptions ... |
UK BMD Births, Marriages and Deaths Indexes Online. Baptims, Burials, Monumental Inscriptions, Cemetry, Cemetries, Civil Registration, GRO Indexes, BMD, ... |
www.ukbmd.org.uk |
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Welcome to Worldwide Marriage Encounter Home Page |
Marriage Encounter weekends give married couples the tools to make Good marriages GREAT marriages! Why settle for a ho-hum relationship when you can have a ... |
www.wwme.org |
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Alternatives to Marriage Project |
Provides support and information to people who choose not to marry, are unable to marry, or are making decisions about marriage. |
www.unmarried.org |
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Marriage Equality USA (index.shtml) |
Group solely committed to securing the right to civil marriage for same-sex couples. Related facts, membership information, and chapters. |
www.marriageequality.org |
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President Calls for Constitutional Amendment Protecting Marriage |
President Bush on Tuesday said, "The amendment should fully protect marriage, while leaving the state legislatures free to make their own choices in ... |
www.whitehouse.gov |
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Marriage in Ancient Rome |
Selected information plus a bibliography and internet links. |
www.fortunecity.com |
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Instructions to Obtain a Marriage Certificate Copy |
This page provides instructions for obtaining a certified or uncertified copy of a Wisconsin marriage certificate. |
www.dhfs.state.wi.us |
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Judaism 101: Marriage |
Learn about the Jewish concept of finding your soul mate, Jewish weddings, the process of acquiring a spouse, and the marital relationship. |
www.jewfaq.org |
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the marriage toolbox |
www.marriagetools.com/ - Similar pages |
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American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy |
Professionally developed resources for practitioners and consumers of marriage and family therapy. Site also offers a search engine for finding a qualified ... |
www.aamft.org |
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