Listening to the Light-Marriage

This week’s studies covered lots of things like how to overcome gridlock, charity, and having a change of heart. What is gridlock? (Photo Credit:  Wikipedia)  “To navigate your way out of gridlock, you have to first understand that no matter how seemingly insignificant the issue, gridlock is a sign that you each have dreams for your life that the other isn’t aware of, hasn’t acknowledged, or doesn’t respect. By dreams I mean the hopes, aspirations, and wishes that are part of your identity and give purpose and meaning to your life” (Gottman, 2015). Gottman discusses how there will always be issues that are perpetual throughout your marriage. Some examples would be that one spouse wants to live a life full of travel and fun, while the other spouse wants to live a life of security, with lots of money in the bank for the “what ifs?” in life. If they can get to the reason why they feel the way they do, it’s easier to compromise. Maybe the adventurer spouse was brought u...

This week’s studying in school has been on managing conflict within a marriage and consecrating ourselves. John M. Gottman said that 69% of marital conflicts fall into the category of “perpetual problems” (Gottman, 2015). That’s quite a bit! Perpetual conflicts could be how to raise your children, what church to attend, how family traditions should be done, etc. When one spouse wants to make every holiday big and spectacular and the other spouse thinks holidays are lame, how do you deal with that? There are two generalized reactions that happen. Either you both stick to your guns and continue to argue about it, which leads to distancing yourselves from each other; or you compromise. Is this problem worth the distancing? Gottman came up with a “new model for resolving conflict in a loving relationship, it comprises of five steps: 1. Soften your start-up. 2. Learn to make and receive repair attempts. 3. Soothe yourself and each other. 4. Compromise. 5. Process any grievan...

This week our focus has been on pride. What a topic! In the Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, John Gottman 4th principle is “Let Your Partner Influence You” (Gottman, 2015). That is an interesting idea that I believe sounds easier than it really is. How many of you think that your way is the only way? Is it hard to let someone else have a say? The funny thing is that often people think that they are letting their significant other influence them. For example, a couple I know of have talked about remodeling their kitchen. They have discussed that it is something that needs to be done. In their twenty-five plus years of marriage the pattern is always the same. They talk about it, decide it needs to be done, then the husband is unsure of how to complete the task, so everything is put on hold, and nothing gets done. If, however, the wife decides to go out and get a bid for the kitchen, then tells the husband the proposed cost, he gives the go ahead, and things get to progress...

I love the topic of study for this week! It’s “staying emotionally connected.”  I think this is such an important topic! Have you ever talked to a couple that recently are empty-nesters? We’ve all seen movies where the wife is all of a sudden worried, because they don’t know if they are going to like being “just a couple” after the time of raising a family. In the Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work , John Gottman stresses the importance turning toward each other. He talks about how people think that going on a two week vacation to the Bahamas is enough to strengthen, or even save, a marriage. It’s actually the little things that are going to matter in the long run. “It is kept alive each time you let your spouse know he or she is valued during the grind of everyday life” (Gottman, 2015). He said that there are two obstacles to turning toward your spouse. One is “’missing’ a bid because it’s wrapped in anger or other negative emotions” and the second is “being distract...