The kids are bickering again. Their voices are rising as they begin to realize the other sibling doesn’t seem to hear them. Before you know it, they’re screaming “Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” at the same time. Now they’re talking at the same time, in high decibel levels, right in front of your face.
It’s time to play referee.
With a kitchen timer.
Sit the two camps down. Grab your kitchen timer and set it for three minutes. Ask Kid Number One to air his side of the story within those three minutes. There should be no interruptions from others, just straight talk from whoever’s got the …read more

Let’s be realistic and accept that couples fight.  If you have never had a disagreement with your partner then you probably aren’t expressing yourself or discussing serious issues.  Fights are so difficult but, if done right, they can have extremely successful results.  You want to feel comfortable expressing your viewpoint and you want to stand up for yourself, but what should you do if you get in a fight?

I just read the most amazing advice from the fabulous Dr. Phil about “How to Fight Fair.”  I strongly advise every couple to read these tips and discuss them together so you …read more

A few months ago, my friend *Tim (names changed because all my friends read my blog, it seems), told another friend *Anna, that he had feelings for her.
Tim and Anna had a great sort of – what seemed to be – brother/sister banter/bond. They’d hang out a lot, tease each other mercilessly, but all in a platonic sense.
Until that one day that, over linguine, Tim told Anna that he had had feelings for her…for years.
Anna did not feel the same, and let him down gently. Tim said he understood, that it wouldn’t change their friendship, and life went on uninterrupted.
Now, …read more

You must have heard this advice before, right?
“You should never go to bed angry.”
This is one of the marriage fallacies that I believed in for the first few months – but quickly grew to realize that it is like telling someone to keep driving when they  are tired. If you are arguing right before bed, then that was just poor form on your part. But it happens – sometimes because one of you just felt like you had to get something off your chest. Other times, because something happened unexpectedly that’s out of your control.
Either way, you’re arguing…and you’re tired. …read more