Written by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, the Marriage in a Box blog shares insights into common relationship struggles, gives ideas for moving beyond the roadblocks, and helps you find your path to happiness – both individually and within your relationship.
He usually forgets to put the toilet seat down. She usually leaves sticky hairspray on the bathroom counter. We all have bad habits or personality flaws that can get on a spouse’s nerves. Sometimes that annoyance results in one spouse nitpicking or nagging the other to do something or not do something.
This kind of fussy fault-finding usually involves petty, inconsequential issues or tasks. Most people who nitpick or nag don’t mean to disrespect their spouse. However, if you do it on a regular basis, it raises a big red flag in your marriage, ultimately tearing away at the bond in your relationship.
When you point out what your partner has or hasn't done or how they said or did something wrong, you may be belittling, embarrassing, and demeaning your partner. You're also saying that you want the other person to change and that they aren't good enough. Nitpicking or nagging are signs that you don’t respect your spouse.
How to Deal with Each Other’s Quirk’s
Address the real underlying need. There are no perfect people in this world an no amount of nagging or nitpicking will turn your spouse into a perfect person. We each have different personalities and habits. We can change in small ways, but a leopard cannot change its spots.
Those personality quirks and habits have always been there. They were there when you were dating. They were there when you got married. Over the years, for some reason, those quirks and habits began to get on your nerves, and you started nagging or nitpicking.
It is quite possible that your nagging or nitpicking is covering up something else you need. Are you seeking your spouse’s attention? Are you angry at your spouse for some slight? Try to open up to your spouse and communicate what is really bothering you. Make the attempt to resolve the underlying need.
Be Nice. You catch more bees with honey than with vinegar. Rather than use negative behavior to try to change your spouse’s habits, show them kindness and respect. Talk to them as an equal instead of scolding them like a child. Bring up one thing that is bothering you in a friendly tone of voice and ask nicely if you and your spouse can talk about it and come to some type of solution. Please and Thank You goes a long way in a relationship. “Please put the toilet seat down after using the toilet.” OR “ You need to put the seat down when you use the toilet.” Which sounds nicer?
Learn to Live With it. If you constantly nag and nitpick your spouse, they will grow tired of never meeting your expectations, always disappointing you, and always feeling like a failure. No one wants to live in an unhappy marriage. Eventually they will look for a way out. You have flaws just as your spouse has flaws. Happiness comes from learning to overlook the flaws and love each other for who you are, spots and all.
Don’t Put Up with Nagging or Nitpicking. Marriage has enough conflicts from external sources without inventing internal conflicts by nitpicking and nagging. If you feel you are being nagged or nitpicked by your spouse, you should tell them that you have had enough of their nagging and nitpicking and take a time out from them. Hopefully, after you have done this a few times, your spouse will stop.
Abusive behavior in a marriage is never okay. While you may think it is constructive criticism, your spouse won’t see it that way. Take steps to stop this destructive behavior or seek professional help from a marriage coach at marriageinabox.com
Many married couples don’t travel with the children when they are young or limit travel to grandma and grandpa’s house. However, you and your spouse need a respite from your daily life every now and then and traveling also gives you a chance to spend uninterrupted time with your kids and bond as a family. Traveling with your kids and babies can be stressful and overwhelming, but, if you are prepared, it will be fun and worth it all. Here are ten tips to make traveling with kids easier.
Pack well in advance of your trip. You need time to think things out and make sure you pack everything you will need. Luggage takes up a lot of room and can be cumbersome to tote around. Plan on 2 suitcases, 1 carryon bag. One suitcase for you and your husband’s clothes, shoes, and toiletries. The other suitcase is for the children. Use color coded packing cubes to pack each child’s clothes, shoes, and toiletries in and fit them side by side in the suitcase. If you are traveling with a baby, you will also need a diaper bag with all the baby essentials.
Don’t Overpack. Babies and little ones have and need a lot of stuff. However, you need to focus on just the essentials when packing to travel. Think about the activities you will be doing while on vacation and pack accordingly. You may be going out to eat or staying in a condo, so invest in a foldable seat that attaches to the table. Pack a flexible entertainment mat rather than a suitcase full of toys. Pack n Play cribs can double as a place to sleep and a playpen. Invest in a good travel stroller or you will be toting heavy children through all the trip’s activities.
Pack a change of clothes for the kids and adults in the carryon. Roll up simple clothes changes for each child and adult and put them in a color marked zip lock bag. You never know when someone will spill something on themselves, have a bathroom accident, or throw up, so be prepared.
Plan for emergencies. Children can become ill at the drop of a hat. It is not uncommon for a child to get car sick, plane sick, or seasick. Always pack something for nausea, liquid Tylenol, a thermometer, band-aids, and Neosporin.
Use luggage and bags and aids that make it easy to walk with. There is nothing worse than trying to carry several suitcases, bags, and equipment through an airport with children in tow. Use bags and carriers that strap on to your bodies like backpacks, waist packs, carriers that double as strollers, rolling luggage, and rolling carryon bags. Use the luggage carts at the airport. Invest in a foldable wagon to tote things back and forth to the beach. Anything that will make transporting the things you need easier, invest in and use.
Keep them busy during the flight or car ride. Bring a bunch of little toys and books from the dollar store and put them in zip lock bags in the carryon bag. Give them to the kids to open when they get bored. They get excited knowing that there’s something new for them to play with throughout the flight or car ride. Any time you travel, make sure to bring a tablet or I-pad so kids can play kid-friendly games & watch movies on there.
Always have portable snacks and drinks. Hungry children can make your life miserable in a car or plane. Pack several small snack bags of crackers, dry cereal, gummy snacks, and sippy cups of water. Many places sell sippy cups that look like small water bottles where the lid closes shut and doesn’t leak.
Book adjoining rooms for adults and kids. Having everyone all in one room is a recipe for a sleepless night. At home, children usually sleep in their own quiet room. Try to keep their routine as close to normal as possible. Let the children sleep in a separate section of the room, like a suite, or a room with an adjoining door to yours. Set up a baby monitor so you can hear when the kids are up. Everyone will sleep better and be happier throughout the trip.
Choose kid-friendly activities and restaurants. While you and your spouse will not likely be able to dine in a fancy restaurant, you can choose restaurants with outdoor seating and some kid-friendly meal options like mac-and-cheese or chicken fingers. Most areas for tourists have a list online of kid-friendly activities to do. Parks, museums, nature trails, beaches, pools, etc. are all good options.
Don’t forget to plan a little “couple” luxuries. When you are out and about during the day, pick up a bottle of wine, some cheese, and appetizers that you and your spouse can enjoy on the patio after the kids go to bed.
Traveling with children is challenging and a lot of work, but you can have a very enjoyable and memorable family vacation by planning in advance.
Your husband or wife tells you that his or her parents have invited you to take a vacation together. How do you respond? No, maybe, yes? Traveling with your parents can be a challenge. Vacationing with your in-laws means you will be under their watchful eyes for the entire trip. Some people get along well with their in-laws, but others do not. Here are a few tips to make a family trip a pleasant experience.
- Pick your spouse’s brains about his or her parents.
Unless you see your in-laws often, you likely don’t know a lot about them. His or her mother may be very chatty. His of her father may have a habit of reading while on the toilet. Before you spend up-close and personal time with your in-laws, your spouse needs to brief you about their likes, dislikes, and habits so you are prepared.
- Get the low down on the vacation
Don’t wait until the last minute to find out where you are going, what to bring, who is making reservations etc. You don’t want to pack for a casual beach vacation and find out you are going to a five-star resort in the mountains. If your in-laws live close, invite them to dinner so you can discuss the vacation details and who is doing what. If they live out-of-town, do a video chat or a conference call.
- How do you handle expenses?
You shouldn’t make assumptions about who will pay for things on vacation. Just because his or her parents invited you on vacation does not mean that you should let them pay for everything. When one couple pays for everything, even if they are more well to do than you or vice-versa, if can create awkward situations. You don’t want your dad and your husband wrestling over the dinner bill. At the beginning of the trip, all of you should come to an agreement that either (1) you’ll chip in your portion of the trip and every meal or (2) you’ll contribute to the cost of the accommodations and each couple will take turns paying for meals.
- Offer to Help Plan Activities
Parents never stop being the decision makers and being protective of their children. You and your spouse might be adventure seekers while the in-laws may be sight seers. In addition, there is likely a large age difference between you and your in-laws so they might purchase tickets to the local rendition of “My Fair Lady while you would prefer to visit a jazz club. Offer to plan a few day and evening activities during the vacation so everyone can get enjoyment from the vacation.
- Schedule some time out
Traveling together does not mean you need to spend every waking hour together. Don’t be afraid to take some time to be alone with your spouse and go off and do what you want to do. When you are all together all the time, you need time to breathe. Chances are good that they will welcome the time apart as well.
- Take things in stride.
When you are traveling, things never go exactly as planned or expected. You made reservations at an exclusive seafood restaurant, but his mother hates fish. Kindly suggest that she try the fried shrimp. Your in-laws decided to have some “intimate time” together and you walked in on them. Gently apologize for the intrusion and quickly leave. Things can happen to create embarrassing moments. Just try to take it in stride and move on.
- Smooth over the arguments.
Sometimes travelling can wear on your nerves and create tension. Before you know it, your spouse and their parents are in an argument over whether to turn right or left at the stop sign to get to the restaurant. Everyone is out of their comfort zone and after a few days together, family drama can erupt. Your spouse does not want to be treated as a child while his dad always knows what’s best. Don’t get caught up in the squabble! Try to calm everyone down by deflecting “Oh my gosh, there’s a moose!” to smooth over the drama.
Traveling is stressful and adding you in-laws into the mix can make it more challenging. However, you need to remember that they are family and are an essential part of your spouse’s life just as your parents are to you. There will be awkward, embarrassing moments and some arguments. Special times and times of bonding will also be included. When you married your spouse, his family was also part of the deal. So, for your spouse’s sake, keep things lighthearted and enjoy the vacation.
Stress from work, family, money, and health can make the daily bumps in the road feel like a rollercoaster ride in a relationship. In marriages, stress is a leading cause of interpersonal tension and dysfunctional relationships. How can you help your marriage stay healthy and meaningful in today’s high-stress, fast-paced environment?
Here are 15 things to do to reduce stress in your marriage:
- Always put your marriage first.
Time with your spouse shouldn’t be an afterthought. Your relationship with your spouse should come before all other priorities and schedules. As you age in life, your co-workers, neighbors, friends, and acquaintances will come and go. Your spouse is the one you chose to have and to hold until death.
- Replace ‘I’ with ‘we’
Marriage involves two people blending their lives together and becoming one. Be aware that everything you do reflects on your spouse. You are a team, so communication, honesty, respect, and openness are critical to the success of your marriage.
- Talk with your Spouse daily.
In relationships it’s all about communication. Communication is not all pleasant conversation and agreeing with one another. Many misunderstandings and fights occur because one spouse did not take the time to sit down and talk to their spouse about what is going on. Make it a point to set aside time each day to sit down and share the good and the bad about your day.
- Provide a listening ear.
Partners need to open their ears and listen to what their spouse is saying. Your partner may be trying to convey an important message, experience, or just need your love and attention. Give them your full attention and hear what they are saying.
- Enjoy Sex Often.
Having sex releases feel-good hormones that reduce stress. Intimacy calms you down and allows you to bond with your spouse.
- Demonstrate your affection for your spouse regularly.
Physical contact is a proven stress reliever. Hugs and kisses go a long way in staying connected with your spouse. Snuggle up on the couch to watch TV. Reach out and take your spouse’s hand while walking. Kiss your husband or wife good morning and good night.
- Live within your means.
Money problems are a leading cause of stress in American marriages. Most of the stuff we get into debt over is simply not worth the aggravation. Make a budget together and stick to it.
- Have fun together.
Laughing, playing, and enjoying every moment you have together is great relationship medicine.
- Don’t waste energy arguing over small stuff.
Arguments are often spurred by minor disagreements that aren’t problems. Usually, they represent bigger issues. Try to look beyond the surface, talk it out, and identify the issues deeper down in your relationship. Remind yourselves what really counts.
- Know when to leave it at the door
Bringing stress that is rooted in friendships, work, school, etc. into the relationship can create a spill-over effect that creates or worsens relationship problems. recognize this and don’t take it out on your partner.
- Be supportive of your spouse.
Criticism always leads to more stress. Playing to your spouse’s strengths works better than focusing on any weaknesses. Be supportive and build them, affirm, and encourage your spouse.
- Nurture Yours and Your Spouse’s Friendship
Research has shown that couples that have a great friendship have a higher percentage overall of marital satisfaction. Friends treat each other with respect and support each other through good and bad times. Friends look forward to spending time together and genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
Maintaining and growing love in today’s stressful world consists of decisions. It’s a matter of daily choices. You must decide to tune out the stress and choose your partner every day with your head, your heart, and your actions to make your marriage work.
The birth of a baby is a joyous occasion in the majority of couple’s lives. However, most couples are unprepared for the demands of parenting. Every waking hour is spent feeding, changing, and tending to the needs of the baby. Parenting is challenging on your body and mind because you don’t have time to get proper sleep, eat healthy meals, exercise, socialize, or focus on keeping the home fires burning. Approximately two-thirds of couples see the quality of their relationship decline within three years of the birth of a child.
As children get older, the demands change to overseeing homework, and taking children to and from sports, ballet, music lessons, school functions, etc. You spend so much time taking care of their needs that it is easy to neglect your own. Yours and your partner’s needs take a backseat to the children. Don’t let the stress of parenthood destroy your marriage!
Get the proper amount of sleep.
Experts say that your body needs 7 to 8 hours of sleep every day to function at its best. When you don’t get enough sleep, you are sluggish, irritable, and less effective. It will take you twice as long to do things, you are likely to make more mistakes, and you’re prone to getting into arguments without proper rest. Set a bedtime and stick to it. Since it can take a while for your mind to calm down enough to sleep, start setting the stage for bedtime by turning off the technology at least an hour before bedtime.
Share the workload.
Parenting and taking care of the household is tough to do alone. In today’s world, both parents may work outside the home or in a home office, or one may work while the other takes care of the household. Either way, both partners need to share the responsibility for the children and the household. AS an example, one partner may decide to take care of the cooking, laundry, and daytime childcare. The other partner may agree to take care of the outdoor maintenance, garbage, and nighttime childcare. Both of you may decide to share the household cleaning once per week. Carve out some time to sit and talk and come up with an equitable division that plays to your strengths.
Plan your calendar wisely.
There are so many competing demands for your time, that you need to become very protective of your time as a family and as partners. Don’t pack your calendar so tightly with activities and events that you neglect to leave time for yourself, your family time, and your marriage. Learn to say no to invitations for friends and relatives that take up too much time. If your kid’s activities are packing the daily schedule to tightly, learn to limit the activities. Schedule a block of time for yourself every day to exercise and just unwind. Your partner should do the same. Planning helps control the chaos and reduce the stress.
Prioritize your time with your spouse.
You need to make time to enjoy being with your spouse. This is the glue that holds your marriage together. Set aside time each day to sit alone together and talk about you and your marriage. This is not time to discuss your obligations, vent or spend time on your cellphones. This is time to enjoy getting to know each other better by communicating. Every marriage needs time for intimacy and romance. Schedule a date night once a week and treat that time as sacred. Get a babysitter and go out or put the kids to bed and have a quiet evening in.
Removing the stress from a marriage with children takes both of you planning and working together. The rewards, however, are worth the effort. Your kids will have parents that are fully there, you and your spouse will enjoy your family and your relationship, and you each can breathe a sigh of relief.
Despite the constant talk about work-life balance today, it remains elusive for too many families." The economy, the uncertainty of careers, make leaving work at the office is more difficult than it seems. Technology allows us to work virtually anywhere, and anyone can reach us at any time. Working at home is not a luxury, it has become a necessity for many. Working too much can have a negative impact on your marriage.
Every company and spouse value a hard worker. However, there is a difference between being a hard worker and being a workaholic. A workaholic is someone who works compulsively at the cost of sleep, health, and spending time with loved ones. They don’t just work hard; work consumes their life.
- They miss out on life events for work.
- They try to find ways to make more time for work.
- Hobbies and leisure are sacrificed due to work.
- The amount they work has negatively impacted their health.
- They find a way to work even if sick or injured.
- They rarely take vacations, and if they do, they still work while out of the office.
- They always bring work home with them.
- They find it hard to be "in the moment" because they are thinking about work.
In a workaholic marriage, everyone suffers. The workaholic experiences tendencies to entitlement, irritability, frequent physical ailments, angry outbursts, and constant guilt over their work habits. The workaholic’s spouse feels disconnected, abandoned, or estranged from their partner. The marriage lacks physical and emotional intimacy, communication, and togetherness. Sooner or later, something will snap and both partners will have to confront the issue.
If you or your spouse recognize signs of being overcommitted to work, you are putting your marriage in danger. Here is how to make a lifestyle change and turn things around before it's too late.
Communicate your feelings to your spouse. As your spouse is engrossed in their work, you are silently raging with resentment at always putting your needs on the back burner for the sake of his or her career. Sacrificing in silence will not change the situation. You need to have an honest conversation with your spouse. They may not be aware of how much they have neglected you and the family. Gently let them know how much you love them and need them to be present in your life instead of always at work.
Once you open the door to the issue, it allows you both to discuss how to solve the problem. Start with one or two small steps that could begin to make a difference and go from there.
Create a boundary between work and home life
Your work life can bring many benefits such as a sense of accomplishment, success, money, and recognition. However, no matter how good you are at your job, it will not bring you lasting peace, happiness, love, or comfort. People were created to need other people. When you develop a relationship with someone, you open yourself to them. You get to know them, and they get to know you. As time goes on and you become more involved with each other, love blossoms, intimacy occurs, and two become one. That sharing, communication, and building a life together is what gives life meaning.
Work is what makes your life outside of work possible. A healthy marriage and family life is possible because of the boundaries you set. Set a specific time that you will arrive at work and that you will leave work every day and stick to it. Learn to protect your family time. If your boss asks you to stay late, let him or her know that you have already made a prior commitment that you cannot break. Offer to come in early the next morning to attend to the project.
Establish Technology Free Zones.
The master bedroom should be set up to use for relaxing, cuddling, and sleeping. It should be a couple’s sanctuary. If you have an office set up in the bedroom, relocate it to a different part of the house. If you are a laptop or tablet fanatic, have a specific place that you use it and stick to that space. Don’t take your office with you everywhere you go, every minute of the day. You need to unplug to get rest, decompress, and focus on your family relationships.
Make your Spouse a Priority
Your career, your work, or your schedule should not be at the expense of your marriage. To have a great marriage, requires devotion of time, energy, communication, and intimacy. If you are consumed with work or your schedule, what is left for your spouse? If this sounds like you, you need to get back to investing some time in your marriage.
When you leave the office (whether is a home office or an out of the home office), put work out of your mind. Establish a weekly date night for “just the two of you.”
Set Aside Family Time
Gather as a family for meals and make it a rule that cell phones are turned off during your time together. To create and maintain a close bond, you need to spend time being completely present, talking with and enjoying your time with your family. If it’s been a while, start off by making an effort to connect. Ask about how their day went and share something about your day. Mealtime is an essential time to decompress from work and get back into family life.
Every couple struggles with finding the right balance between family life, couple’s time, work, and scheduled events. Talking about and sharing your struggles with your spouse brings you closer together and motivates you both to work at improving your life and marriage.
Without a solid emotional connection, relationships can easily drift apart. A strong emotional connection includes love, friendship, open communication, commitment, and investing in one another. Sharing is the glue that holds it all together. Here are ten ways to build a strong, emotionally connected marriage by sharing.
- Share Your Commitment to the relationship. In a healthy marriage, both spouses are committed enough to the relationship to face the challenges. Believe that your relationship is worth much more than the momentary feelings, and you’ll do what it takes to work through those issues. Learn to see the issue as the enemy, not each other. Even when you become frustrated, concentrate on the issue, and commit to working on it together instead of letting it come between them.
- Share What You are Feeling. Don’t expect your partner to be able to read your mind. Open communication is essential to keep the peace and express needs and feelings. Learn to listen deeply. When your spouse speaks, put your phone across the room, turn off the TV and give them direct eye contact. Ask questions to explore their thoughts.
- Share quality time. Make sure you are both making time for each other. Schedule weekly time with each other before anything else. Keep dating. Talk about things you love and try new things together.
- Share Affection & Intimacy. Be sure you are showing your spouse affection, whether mentally or physically. Whether words of affirmation or physical touch, make sure you fulfill your spouse’s need for love and physical closeness. Make time to meet each other’s sexual needs and try to spice things up from the usual bedroom routine.
- Share an Investment in Each Other. If both spouses focus only on meeting their own needs, the relationship becomes one of “taking” instead of “giving.” Suppose that both spouses focus on the happiness and growth of each other by making their partner their top priority. In that case, they are investing in each other and building a genuine emotional connection in marriage.
- Share forgiveness. Needing to be right or have the last word is detrimental to most relationships. Would you prefer to prove you’re right or maintain a happy marriage? Learn to let go of grudges and allow others to have their own opinions can save the peace.
- Share your dreams. Make a point of sharing any dreams or goals you have for the future with your partner. It helps keep them alive and motivate you to continue working toward them. It can also prompt you to dream together.
- Share Admiration & Respect. Everyone needs to be respected and appreciated for who they are. Having your spouse support you means they value you. Try to support your spouse’s achievements, build up their self-esteem, and fulfill their emotional needs. Make sure you respect their differences as much as you respect their similarities.
- Share Responsibility. For your marriage to be successful, make sure you are fair in your division of responsibilities between you and your spouse. Putting most of the load onto your spouse will likely lead to them feeling overworked and underappreciated.
- Share Experiences. Plan activities with friends and loved ones that enable you to share what’s been going on in your life and create deeper bonds. Find new fun, ways to spend time sharing experiences together and connect with others.
Marriages are fragile. They are held together with the emotional bonds of love, respect, and intimacy. Many married couples go through rough times. Living with another person, blending your lives is not always easy, no matter how much you love one another. When you have children, you can become so busy with activities, work, and running the household that you may miss signs that tell you your marriage is in trouble.
However, letting the friction go on for months could lead to irreparable damage that may not be easy to mend. Temporary roadblocks can lead to separation unless you find a way to overcome them.
How do you know if the emotional connection is broken?
- You and Your Spouse have little to talk about anymore.
When the only thing you both talk about is the kids, or keeping the household running, there may not be an emotional connection between you anymore. Of course, parents must talk about the children, and, unfortunately, bills and meals, and grocery shopping also must be regular topics of conversation. However, if these things are all you talk about, the bond between you may be broken.
- The verbal language in your marriage has shifted from caring and kindness to impatience and criticism.
When you care about someone, you are careful not to speak harsh or angry words that attack their character because you love them. If your spouse criticizes everything you do, snaps at you when things don’t get done in their timeframe, or ridicules you in public, they have lost respect for you, and your emotional connection has been broken.
- You Have the Same Argument Repeatedly.
Arguments will happen in every marriage, even healthy ones. Research shows that couples who argue effectively are ten times more likely to have a happy marriage than those who sweep issues under the rug. If your time together is plagued by the same old argument and there is no resolution, there's a significant disconnect. Before long, you’ll start avoiding each other for fear of sparking another argument.
- You avoid spending time with each other.
In the first years of love, most couples can hardly stand to be apart. Even after years go by, you should still enjoy spending time with one another, laughing, and engaging in lighthearted, playful behavior, at least occasionally.
Coming home late daily, spending weekends and holidays away for work or with friends and trying to spend less time at home all indicate a failing relationship. If you can’t hang out with your partner, something is wrong in your marriage.
- Date Nights Are a Thing of Days Gone by.
Can't remember your last date night? If you're not planning any important or special events together and not spending time together generally, that's not good news for your relationship.
- You Don't Have Sex Anymore.
Sex may not be all there, but it’s an essential part of a healthy, intimate marriage. A Social Psychology and Personality Science study found that, on average, happy couples had sex once a week. Every marriage goes through lull periods in the bedroom. Not wanting to rip your partner’s clothes off every night is no reason to panic. However, if you’re both physically healthy enough but go months or even years without sex, a deeper issue like a lack of emotional intimacy or romance may be the issue.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to repair your Marriage!
Have a conversation with your spouse about your concerns about the issues with the emotional bond in your marriage. The most powerful tool we have for resolving our conflicts is listening and understanding one another. When we invite our partners to share, truly listen, and understand their feelings, you can get to the bottom of the real issues.
Stop Defending your castle and Say I Love You, and I’m sorry.
The healing of the emotional bond in marriage is best accomplished with the commitment of both parties, where both parties are willing and motivated to spend 15 minutes each day to put your marriage back together.
Marriages requires work and putting in the effort on things that bond you as a couple is part of that. Marriage in a Box is a set of 173 marriage therapy techniques that you and your spouse can work on together in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
