Tag Archives: Respect

Essentials for Happy Lasting Marriage

Here are my first five essentials for a happy lasting marriage. Last night as Mick and I played a game of Settlers of Catan, I was thinking about our marriage and thinking about how far we’ve come over our more than 40 years of marriage from that young couple that started out together. So here are a few of my essentials. 1. Love Love is the obvious starting point. But not the wishy washy excuse for love we see on movie and TV screens. And not just lust or chemical attraction which also gets portrayed often but a real concern … Continue reading →

What Makes a Good Marriage Partner?

Most of us dream at some stage of the person we will marry. Some of us even set down a few ideas or a checklist of what we’d like in a mate. But what really makes a good marriage partner. When I asked Mick this question he came up with the answer. ‘Me,’ he said jokingly. While I agree wholeheartedly, we then started to talk more about it in depth. The list he came up with was similar to mine. Here’s our ideas. A good marriage partner is someone who: 1. puts their spouse and their needs first. That means … Continue reading →

Respectful Relationships to Counter Horrifying Statistics?

1 in 3 women have experienced violence in their lives and I out of every 5 women have been a victim of sexual assault, according to the prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd. These are horrifying statistics. I have never been in the situation myself of having an abusive husband. But I’ve had friends who have. So I know a little of the physical, mental and emotional scars it leaves behind and how hard it is after having been in that sort of relationship for the woman to trust a man again. And yet, those who have been in abusive … Continue reading →

Protecting Your Marriage

Most people don’t think twice about insuring their home or car or things that are valuable. They don’t think twice about installing security measures like screens and alarms. But what about protecting your marriage? What can you and I do to protect our marriages? Here are some suggestions. And no, these aren’t all mine. Many came from families.com members. Respect and being careful about the way we talk to our spouse. It was interesting to see how many of you mentioned this as essential. No marriage is great absolutely great all the time. Your spouse isn’t perfect and neither are … Continue reading →

Marriage Break Up – No-one is Immune

None of us is immune. How often do we hear of marriages breaking up, sometimes after a short time but other times after many years together? I was saddened recently to read of the marriage break up of a minister I admired. His sermons were biblical, thoughtful and practical. Sadly, it seems he spent so much time on church matters that his own marriage suffered. As Mary Ann pointed out – if people don’t get what they want from a marriage they tend to seek it elsewhere. This attitude of society to seeking fulfillment outside the marriage shows up in … Continue reading →

How Facebook Could be Bad for Your Marriage

Facebook can be a great networking tool to keep in touch with current friends and re-establish contact with old ones. But there are several ways that Facebook could actually be bad for your marriage. Here are some examples. You Spend Too Much Time on It Facebook can be addicting. There are so many messages, status updates, photos, videos, games, quizzes and applications (what is a sea garden anyway?) to occupy your time. But if you would rather stay up with Facebook instead of go to bed with your spouse, it might be a problem. You Air Your Grievances It is … Continue reading →

Reviewing Priorities

Is there something your husband or wife does that’s sure to piss you off? I’m not talking something major, like cheating or spending thousands of dollars irresponsibly. (Though those would be prime pisser offer actions.) Rather, I’m referring to the little things. The not changing the toilet paper roll when it’s used up. The not rinsing off the dirty dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. (Or the opposite, for those of you out there who don’t see the value in rinsing dishes that are just going in the dishwasher anyway.) The leaving dirty clothes where they lay rather than … Continue reading →

Detoxing Your Marriage

The other night, I watched Joel Osteen. He was talking about toxic thoughts. As he was speaking about the importance of detoxing your thoughts, something he said really struck me. Toxic Thoughts He was explaining how damaging bad thoughts can be. How they shut you down, stifle you, keep you stuck, and prevent you from living up to your full potential. Because bad thoughts are toxic ones and toxins build up over time, contaminating your mind, body, soul, and life. But by detoxing your thoughts, you can live a happier and more positive life and therefore a better one. But … Continue reading →

Show Some Respect

Recently FatherBlogger started a forum topic about the best way for a boy to learn to respect women. I suggested a boy needed the example at home of a father who showed that respect to his wife. But it really goes much deeper than that. Marriage to me is about love certainly, but also respect and loyalty to each other. I am horrified sometimes to hear the way women deride their husbands to other women. Where is the loyalty to the one they are married to? By the same token there are guys who publicly ridicule and sling off about … Continue reading →