_ Marriage5 Tips to Keep Your Marriage Feeling Young By articleBy DJ Miller There’s popular assumption that once you get married, romance and butterflies fall by the wayside. That stereotype isn't always the case, but too often "to have and to hold" does become an obligation after a few decades. If you're part of a couple that is going through a marital slump after many years, here are tips to help you get out of the rut. Remember Why You Got Married
_ MarriageHappy Couples Can Resolve Fights By Adprime Admin articleJust in time for Valentine’ s Day 2014, Baylor University psychologist Keith Sanford, Ph.D. reports that being critical, angry, and defensive isn't always a bad thing for couples having a big disagreement — provided they are in a satisfying relationship. In that case, they likely will have a "big resolution" regardless of how negative they were during the discussion, according to his study, published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
_ MarriageDouble Dating Keeps Romance Alive By Adprime Admin articleJust in time for Valentine’s Day, researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit have found that going on a double date may be more effective at reigniting passion in your own relationship than the classic candlelit dinner for two. That result appears to be because striking up a friendship with another couple in which you discuss personal details of your life will bring you closer to your own partner. The study will be presented the week of February 10th 2014 at the annual conference of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology in Austin, Texas.
PetsInclude Pets in Healthy Weight Resolutions for 2014 By articleNearly half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions and of those, almost 40 percent are related to weight loss. This year, why not include pets in a weight management program to ensure they’re at a healthy, optimum weight? One type of tool veterinarians use to rate the body condition of dogs and cats is a scale one to nine, with a healthy pet being in the four to five range. When a pet is at a healthy weight, a pet parent should be able to feel the ribs, but not see them.
_ DivorceGetting Past Betrayal By Adprime Admin articleBy Judy Kirkwood “The most important thing about me was that for quite a chunk of my life I was divorced. It was a fact that stayed with me even after I remarried. I have now been married to my third husband for more than 20 years. But when you've had children with someone from whom you're now divorced, that split defines everything; it's the lurking fact, a slice of anger in the pie of your brain.” Nora Ephron
_ Relationships & LoveJohn Edwards Is Guilty--Of VIolating Human Decency By Jane Farrell article To me the most compelling news to surface in John Edwards’ trial for alleged violation of campaign finance laws is the scene described last week of Elizabeth Edwards ripping off her blouse and bra and confronting her husband with evidence of her scarred life (physical and emotional - she had a double mastectomy and was battling a recurrence of her cancer). “You don’t see me anymore,” she cried, as ex-aide Christina Reynolds recounted in the federal courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina.
_ Relationships & LoveMy Sweet Baby James By Jane Farrell article James Taylor’s breakthrough album, Sweet Baby James, was released in 1970. Over 40 years later, he is still my boyfriend – well, he did promise, specifically to me, “You’ve got a friend.”
_ ParentingThe Unspeakable Pain of Losing a Child By Sondra Forsyth article The wrenching news of the three teenage boys whose lives were cut short during the recent school shootings in a little Ohio town touched us deeply here at ThirdAge. Like parents and grandparents across the nation, we were riveted by sorrow and horror as the coverage unfolded. The poignant statement by 16-year-old Demetrius Hewlin's mother and father seemed to us especially moving: "We are very saddened by the loss of our son and others in our Chardon community. Demetrius was a happy young man who loved life and his family and friends.
_ DivorceThe Post-Divorce Valentine's Day By Jane Farrell article Who dreads Valentine’s Day more than single women with no romantic interest in their lives? Recently divorced women.But there is hope for a new kind of Valentine’s celebration. On a day when “I love you, darling” is shoved down our throats, maybe we should be expressing our gratitude to those who stuck by us through the valley of depression, or making the day special for our children or grandchildren.
_ FriendshipDo You Still Need a BFF? By Sondra Forsyth article Celebrity best friends Barbra Streisand and Donna Karan have famously continued their close connection with one another for over 20 years. Babs, who will turn 70 in April of 2012, recently took the stage at the Dream Foundation's annual gala to present the evening's award to the 64-year-old creator of DKNY clothing labels for her tireless work in helping grant wishes for the terminally ill.
_ Living SingleAre You Lonely? By Sondra Forsyth article If you're a Boomer who's living alone, you're part of a growing phenomenon. Close to 30% of the older population is in what the Census Bureau calls "single person households," and the number skyrockets to almost 50% for women over the age of 75. Yet while mid-lifers who are yearning for some "me time" may think that flying solo sounds great, the truth is that coming home to an empty house or apartment night after night can bring on depression as well as a host of related physical ailments.
_ Have You Become Your Mother? By Sondra Forsyth article When my mother had been widowed about three years, we took her on a tour of a community for active seniors near where we lived in New York. She was visiting from her home in Michigan and our plan was to get her to move. From our point of view, she was rattling around all alone in a three-bedroom house and she rarely got a chance to see the grandchildren. We thought she'd jump at the opportunity to sell her property and not only settle into a place where she could socialize with people her own age but also be a short drive from her family.
DatingThe Eight Stages of Relationships: Part Two By Adprime Admin articleThis is part two of a series on the predictable stages of a relationship. To read part one, click here. How a couple negotiates the fourth stage -- Power Struggle -- determines what stages they will encounter next. I cannot stress enough how important it is to negotiate the power struggle stage successfully in order to keep your relationship alive and thriving.
DatingThe Eight Stages of Relationships: Part One By Adprime Admin articleRelationships are predictable. All of them go through stages as they grow and develop. And this includes romantic relationships.What stage is your relationship in?Or, if you are not in a relationship, at what stage do your relationships always end and why?Identifying the stages of your relationship and the attributes, stumbling blocks and joys of each stage can help you negotiate through them with more success, peace and love.