I found a report on marriage and divorce that led me to look at both in a different way. People say things like, “divorce is on the rise” or “divorce rates are higher than ever,” but where do they get this information? 
 I grew up with divorced parents who remarried and then divorced, then divorced again. My earliest memories are full of divorce, not marriage. I think that in some way that led me to think that nothing lasts forever. My grandparents were married. My Aunts and Uncles were married, but I was focused on my own family. Mom and dad …read more

As a divorced woman, I can honestly tell you that when going through a divorce you are not at your best. It’s like the divorce takes over your brain and there’s no room left for things like rational thought or common sense. I saw a piece today at AOL Health, by Gabrielle Linzer and Christina Parrella, about mistakes that people make while going through a divorce.
Here are a few “slip ups,” that divorcing folk tend to fall into……
*Do not try to entice your ex back by being overly generous when divvying up your assests. I did not fall into this one …read more

I asked my boyfriend for some ideas for a relationship post this evening and he told me about a couple in Colorado whom have been married for 75 years. Whoa. That is a very, very long time.
He saw them on the news and said that they were funny, “all smiles, and best friends. He was trying to put it into relative terms like, his Grandpa was 18 at that time. His tried to explain it further, his Grandpa is no longer alive and he “was really old” when he died. I like when he gets wordy and explains the same …read more

My family came through town for a quick visit yesterday. We went to the creek for a quick dip, then back to the house for lunch, dinner, then So You Think We Can Dance, because … well, Mom and I are hooked.
My sister and her husband have been married for 16 years. They have been a couple for about 21 years. In that time I’ve watched their relationship change – up and down, but never out. There are times when they can be a bit bickery, but my brother-in-law never stops doing goofy stuff like goosing my sister or asking …read more

Have you ever read Dear Margo? Margo Howard is the daughter Ann Landers and she writes the same sort of advice column that Ann was famous for.
I read Ann Landers, Dear Abby, and pretty much any other advice columnist that I could get find back in the day. I’m not sure if it was the advice itself or the people telling their troubles that interested me the most. (Probably the troubles – I am naturally nosey). 
I was reading a recent column that covered a husband having an emotional affair with his boss. The emotional affair has the man – married …read more

I’m sure that it’s happened in my own relationships and I see it in relationships all around me all the time.  My observations might fall into some gender stereotypes, but when I see I pattern I just need to call attention to it and find out if other people feel the same way.  I am addressing this from a woman’s viewpoint, but the same situation could definitely exist in the reverse for a man.
If you have been in a serious relationship for a long time you probably think that it is moving towards engagement and marriage.  As the years tick …read more

There is definitely a period of time in your late 20’s and early 30’s when you start to watch everyone around you get engaged and married.  I’ve heard from older friends that this happens, and I am realizing that I have actually reached that exact point in my life where it is happening to me.  Only a few years ago no one was even thinking about marriage, and now the singles are dropping out of the market at a fast pace.
There were definitely the couples who got married right out of college…but those were outliers.  They had been dating since …read more

My Husband and I are celebrating our 8th year wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks’ time and as per usual, we are going on an overnight trip somewhere. Since we are going on a month-long holiday to the US and Canada later this year, we decided to keep this getwaway to a simple affair.
One of the things that we do on our anniversary is to talk about the following:

highs and lows of our marriage
what we love most about each other
what we’d like to change or improve to have a better relationship
our role as parents – what we want for …read more

Bailey, 17,  just came home from a sleepover. She spent the night with a teenage friend who is young mother with a 6-week-old baby. As she came in the door she said, “I’m exhausted and I’m never having kids.” 
I said, “Well, I do hope that you wait, but they don’t cry forever.” And, if you are a parent, you know that they don’t, although they do develop even more challenging behaviors so that at a certain point (the teenage years, for instance), you look back on memories of a crying infant and think of them as The Good Ol’ Days.

Another …read more

I read today that Robin and Sean Penn have put a halt to their legal separation again. Previously, the Penns filed divorce paperwork in December of 2007. Four months later, they reconciled. Recently, Sean Penn filed once again.
Now, it appears as if they are halting the proceedings. I imagine that these are not easy times for the Penns. I can’t help but respect their desire to work it out, to not let go of their marriage.

I’m divorced. I can remember just wanting to be free of my husband. I felt that he was tearing me down, tearing our family down, …read more