Blended Family? Respect the Differences!
It isn’t easy to blend a new couple’s children from a prior marriage or relationship into a cohesive family unit, especially if you go into the “blending” with a goal of trying to duplicate the family you had before. Instead, respect the differences in your new family members and honor your step-children’s individual stages of […]
Family Patterns: Are You “Dating” Your Family?
Have you ever thought about how your family patterns can affect your love life? Strange to think about, but if you look at your past relationships, you often can see a pattern emerging and it generally ties back to the family dynamics you experienced as a child. Maybe your mother was super-neat, and you find […]
In Romance, Be True to Yourself!
Are you settling for less in a relationship? You might be if you find that you are giving up things that are important to you (such as life goals) or you are changing your values for the sake of keeping conflict out of the picture. A relationship should complete you – you shouldn’t have to […]
Stop Settling for Less in Love!
Are you seeing someone who is hyper-critical of you? Maybe you constantly hear that you don’t spend enough time with him or her, or that you should dress differently, or that you need to change just about everything that makes “you” you in order to keep them happy. Whatever it is, know that too much […]
Family Dynamics and Dating
Do you find that you are repeating certain patterns in your dating life and relationships? Look no further than your own family dynamics to see why. Often, we subconsciously look for a mate who can help us resolve issues from our past. For example, if you experienced rejection in your childhood, you may look for […]
Settling For Less? Relationships Take Compromise!
If you are constantly backing away from what you need when interacting with your sweetheart (in other words, you are putting their needs before yours because it’s “just easier” to avoid the conflict you would have to go through in order to get what you want), you are probably settling for less in a relationship! […]
How Does Body Language Affect Relationships?
Most of us don’t spend much time wondering, “how does body language affect relationships?” We just go through our day-to-day lives interacting with other people but never really considering if what we are saying is really what we are “telling” others. We use non-verbal cues to express ourselves between 60% and 80% of the time […]
Are You Settling for Less in a Relationship?
Are you rationalizing your relationship? Do you continue dating someone even though you are pretty sure there is someone better out there for you? Or maybe it’s the reverse and you’re seeing someone who is less than perfect for you, but you are afraid you won’t find anyone better? These are all signs that you […]
Dating and Family Interaction
Have you ever noticed how you feel when you interact with your family? Are you supported in the things you do, the jobs you hold, or the career choices you’ve made? Or are you criticized? What other patterns define your relationship with your family? It’s important to understand family interaction patterns because they can affect […]
Pay Attention to Relationship Red Flags!
Relationship red flags can be raised for all sorts of reasons, but you must pay attention to them if you spot any! For example, is your love hyper-critical of you? Do they constantly judge others around you? In other words, do they go through life putting down everything and everyone? You might dismiss it now, […]
Discover How to Keep Mystery in a Relationship
Want to learn how to keep mystery in a relationship? Turn off the TV, stop talking about work problems, and focus solely on your partner once a day. Be considerate of your sweetheart and surprise them with little gifts or a quick “I’m thinking of you” text. Do something different together – take a cooking […]
Are Your Eyes Open to Relationship Red Flags?
Starry-eyed in a new romance? Just be careful if you spot any relationship red flags! Sometimes, we are so happy to be in love that we can overlook warning signs. An example applies to a single friend who began dating a man from her gym. He was preparing to compete in a bodybuilding contest, so […]