The only thing worse than couples rushing into divorce are couples who rush into a second marriage.

First marriages are challenging. Second marriages are even harder, especially when you’re blending a family. Different expectations, conflict management, and learning how to communicate effectively are things every married couple must navigate. But stepfamilies face a different level of complexity.

When couples enter into second marriages, they often focus exclusively on their love for each other and their new lives together to the exclusion of the family unit as a whole.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage September 13, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What does it mean for a man to follow the biblical admonition to nurture and cherish his wife, despite differences in the relationship?

Maybe you can relate to this exchange between author and speaker, Dan Seaborn, and his wife Jane:

Jane: I like hot tea.Dan:I like sweetened iced tea.

Jane:I don’t like to be sweaty.Dan: I love to sweat.

Jane: Yellow lights mean stop.Dan: Yellow lights mean floor it, baby!

Jane: He drives way too fast.Dan: She drives way too slowly.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage September 8, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A common mistake in marriage is to marry who you hope your spouse will become instead of who they already are.

When a couple is dating, they tend to overlook each other’s bad habits. They get so caught up in the euphoria of the relationship that they ignore how they feel about their mate’s poor behavior. Or they minimize the problem thinking, “Once we get married things will change.” That’s a dangerous game to play.

It’s not unusual for conflict to erupt between a new husband and wife over behaviors that were present all throughout the dating season.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage September 2, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

If you’re a parent and want your household to function smoothly, you’re going to need some rules. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to know where the lines should be drawn. If you struggle with that, try this: don’t sweat the small stuff.

An idea that helped my wife Jean and me to draw boundaries when our boys were younger was to think of their behavioral problems in terms of “levels.” Eating a cookie before dinner, for example, would be a Level One offense.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage August 22, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Choosing someone you want to spend the rest of your life with is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make. It requires a lot of wisdom.

When a couple dates, they tend to overlook their mate’s bad habits because they’re so caught up in the euphoria of their relationship. Even worse, they think, “That behavior will change once we’re married.”

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that your spouse will change in the ways you hope they will.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage August 22, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

I know a lot of couples who have happy marriages. They all share one thing in common: they make deliberate decisions to nurture their relationship, to connect, and to communicate with their spouse regularly.

Not surprisingly, the unhappiest couples aren’t intentional with each other, often because they don’t know how to be.

If that describes your relationship, we’re here to help.

Authors and relationship experts Bill and Pam Farrel are with us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Strengthen Your Marriage with a Meet Up” to encourage husbands and wives to invest in their relationship through “marriage meet ups” – regular meetings together that provide the couple an opportunity to connect, reflect, and plan – intentionally.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage August 18, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Ladies, how do you know when your marriage is romantic enough? Does your husband have to chase you to your gate at the airport? Does he have to throw rocks at your bedroom window and serenade you? How about a long kiss on the beach while waves tumble over you?

Guys, what about you? Do you imagine yourself as the hero, a valiant knight who sweeps your wife off her feet and carries her – literally and figuratively – into the future?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage August 16, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Married couples often think about conflict with each other in black and white terms. Solving problems is all or nothing – meaning every issue, no matter how small or insignificant, is argued over – or they go to the other extreme, no issue ever gets resolved, no matter how destructive it is to the relationship.

There’s a better way. Counselor and author Dr. Randy Schroeder encourages couples to view marital conflict in terms of scratches, cuts, and lacerations:

Scratches are superficial wounds caused by things like misunderstandings or thoughtless words.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage August 9, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Some couples get stuck on the way to marriage. A groom named Brandon Valdez got stuck on the way to his wedding – literally – inside a broken elevator!

To honor the tradition of not seeing one another before the ceremony, Brandon and his bride-to-be, Misty, spent the night in separate hotels. In the morning, Brandon and his groomsmen boarded an elevator for the first floor. Somewhere between floors two and three the elevator jolted to a stop.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage August 2, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura