marriage Archives

How Should Parents Define Happiness?

Scientists love to study how happy parents are (or aren’t). Year after year, news outlets report on the topic, touting studies that they say either find how unhappy parents are, or how much satisfaction and “positive emotion” children bring to their parents’ lives.

Here are some samples of the findings on this topic – as you’ll see, there’s a wide array of results.

A 2007 Pew report found children are still vital to adult happiness.
Fox News describe how “parents report significantly higher levels of depression than non-parents”
Research in the journal Psychological Science found that overall, “parents (and especially fathers) report relatively higher levels of happiness, positive emotion, and meaning in life than do non-parents.”
The Wall Street Journal reports “every additional child makes parents 1.3 percentage points less likely to be ‘very happy’”

Andrew Hess is one of our staff researchers, and he recently attempted to make sense of these findings.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, marriage, parenting July 31, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Three Things to Remember Before Giving Advice to Your Spouse

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a rather provocative column on marriage and advice-giving, linking the practice to lower marital satisfaction rates. Here’s the crux of the findings:

In a series of six studies that followed 100 couples for the first seven years of marriage, researchers at the University of Iowa found that both husbands and wives feel lower marital satisfaction when they are given too much advice from a spouse, as opposed to too little.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage, relationships July 24, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

I Want YOU… to Share Your Date Night Stories, Questions and Advice

Here at Focus, we’ve long promoted the idea that married couples thrive when they take the time to go on a regular “date night.” Yes, that’s right – in the middle of our fast-paced lives and parenting craziness, husband and wives should put in the effort to plan a time together to talk and connect outside of the normal routine.

For most married couples, it’s not easy to go on dates regularly. For some, it’s hard to justify the expense.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage, relationships July 22, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

On Vacations and Rest

Summer is officially here, and along with it traditionally comes a season when many families take time to vacation and be together to rest, regroup and have some fun.

I say “traditionally” because such vacations may be becoming increasingly rare.

There are no legally mandated paid holidays in the United States, but many businesses and organizations do offer their workers paid time off as part of their compensation package. However, Americans leave as many as 175 million available vacation days unused in the typical year.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, finances, kids, marriage, parenting July 2, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How Your Relationship with Your In-Laws Impacts Your Marriage

A few months ago, I ran a post about in-laws and the marriage relationship that really struck a chord in the Daly Focus community and resulted in good conversation in the comments section.

I’m reposting the piece today because it dovetails perfectly with today’s broadcast, “Establishing Healthy Boundaries with Your In-Laws (Part 1 of 2).” Our guests, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, share practical advice and encouragement for married couples, and talk about how a good in-law relationship can have a positive impact on marriage.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage, parenting July 1, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Analyzing the Supreme Court’s Decisions on Marriage

I’m still away with my family in Virginia, but I was able to record an important broadcast on Wednesday’s Supreme Court rulings on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8.

On today’s Focus on the Family Daily Broadcast, you’ll hear as Dr. Al Mohler, Focus Board member and president of Southern Seminary and George Mason University law professor Helen Alvare and I discuss the rulings expected impact to families and the Church. (To read my post that discussed the rulings, click here.)

It was a heavy conversation at times, as the decisions were largely disappointing to those of us who believe in God’s design for marriage and family.

Topics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, homosexuality, marriage, policy, religious liberty June 28, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Millennial Support for Marriage is #NotDeadYet

The media loves a “narrative,” the familiar storyline they tell and tell again. And in light of yesterday’s deeply disappointing Supreme Court decisions regarding marriage, one such narrative that we see again and again is that the younger crowd, the millennial generation, doesn’t care about preserving marriage. If you’re a believer in natural marriage, that’s a tough thing to swallow. Fortunately, however, that’s not the complete picture.

Millions of teens and twenty-somethings are standing firm for marriage.

Topics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, marriage, news, policy June 27, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why I’m Not Despairing Over the Marriage Rulings

The family and I have, ironically, just landed in Washington D.C. for a tour of historic Williamsburg. From the small television in the back of the seat on the airplane, I watched the proceedings from the steps of the Supreme Court as reporters analyzed the news coming from inside the historic building.

Today’s Supreme Court rulings overturning part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and failing to rule on California’s Proposition 8 case are deeply disappointing.

Topics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, marriage, policy June 26, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

On the Closure of Exodus International

Over the years Focus has enjoyed working with Exodus’ leadership, including its current president, Alan Chambers. The dedicated team at Exodus has been used by the Lord to educate, inspire and encourage countless people.

Exodus’ closing is being hailed by some as a victory and indication that Christians are abandoning long-held convictions that living with God’s design for sexuality is possible through the power of Jesus Christ – that change is possible.

The reality is that while Exodus will no longer exist, there are numerous Christian ministries that continue to provide excellent help to those struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction, including the Restored Hope Network and Desert Stream Ministries.

Topics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, marriage, news June 21, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Five Questions and Answers About the Same-Sex Marriage Issue

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on two key marriage cases before the end of June. And as the nation awaits the decisions to the Prop 8 and DOMA and cases, good people are asking thoughtful questions on why marriage matters. However, it’s not always easy to wade through the research and pundit talking points to get trustworthy information on this important issue. You might even find yourself in a conversation with a friend who might see things differently than you.

Topics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, marriage, policy, religious liberty June 18, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura