Marriage

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Dear Parents: Introducing… Your Preteen!

Posted by Willie on 19 May 2007 | Tagged as: Self Development, Book Reviews, Marriage, Achieving Goals

Something interesting happens to your child between the ages of nine and twelve.  Like a caterpillar entering a cocoon, he begins to build his own world, separate from the one you’ve made for him as a youngster.  In that cocoon, several transformations occur.  There are the physical changes that prepare him for puberty.  There is also marked emotional growth, as he begins to come into his own person and make some attempts towards independence.  Socially, he branches out beyond the familiar network he grew up with, to create his own social circles.  Psychologically, you may notice him alternating between doubt and confidence. That confusion is characteristic of this stage, when children find themselves in a fluid state of being ‘in-between’.

Yes, your child is now a preteen!  He’s in that wonderful yet sometimes confusing phase between being a child and being a full-fledged teenager.  During this stage, your child won’t be the only one going through transitions.  You too as a parent will need to revolutionize your parenting skills as well.

With your preteen, be ready to shift your role from teacher to coach.  Your child already knows the ‘WHATs’ and ‘HOWs’ of the right thing to do.  You’ve pretty much nailed that down in the first eight years.  What he needs from you now is guidance on the WHYs of it being right, so that he can understand the principles behind correct actions and decisions.  Help him to grasp the values, beliefs and principles upon which your lessons on proper behavior are grounded.   Once absorbed, he’ll learn to apply them consistently later on, even when you’re not around.

You’ll also need to redefine disciplining your child.  Instead of aiming for him to simply obey your instructions, develop his responsibility to do what’s right without needing to be told.  Furthermore, underline the value that you want to ingrain. You can do this with self-reinforcing contracts that incorporate a reward or withhold a privilege, depending on how your preteen upholds his end of the deal.  Joe’s story is a concrete example.

When Joe began middle school, his parents asked him if he felt ready to receive a weekly allowance.   Joe excitedly agreed, because it was a real step up from the milk-money they gave him everyday in grade school.   He received his first real allowance on Monday morning and he was told that this was his money for the entire week.  By Wednesday afternoon however, Joe found that he’d spent it all!  Since it was the first week they were trying this, Joe’s parents decided to be lenient.  They still gave him milk money for both Thursday and Friday.  They also thought up a contract that would help Joe manage his weekly allowance better.
This was the deal.  Joe had to make his allowance last the whole week.  If he ran out of money before then, he would not be given any more until his next allowance on the following Monday.  However, if he was able to save some of his allowance by the end of the week, not only he could keep the saved money in his piggy bank, but his parents would also match the amount he had saved and give him that money for deposit into his savings account at the bank.

With this contract, Joe learned to become more responsible in handling his allowance.  After going through one penniless Friday, he learned how to budget his spending.  He had enough money for each day, and he was even able to save some in his piggy bank for whatever else he may need or really want later on.  Furthermore, Joe’s parents modeled for him the value of saving.  Now Joe knows that because he’s using his allowance wisely, he’s also saving money in the bank for his important needs in the future.

Re-engineered parenting during the preteen years, not only shifts accountability to your child, it also allows you to finally rest from having to make constant reminders just to get things done.   That should come as a relief to you.  For some parents however, they worry about easing up on their control.  True, parenting a preteen entails some stepping back on your part, some letting go.  Sometimes, you may even have to watch him make mistakes.  That’s hard for any parent, but trust that you’ve trained your child well in the earlier years.  Now it’s time for the run-throughs to see how he’ll keep going on his own.  Your child’s preteen years are a great opportunity for this carefully guided simulation of managing himself wisely when he’s a teenager.

One thing you have in your preteen is a child who’s old enough to understand, but who’s young enough to be pliable.  This is the time to let him explore his growing independence, yet still gently reel him in once in a while to make adjustments and realign his behavior as needed.   Think of it as parental ‘product testing’.  That means lots of trial and error blanketed in love, before you proudly and confidently release your masterpiece into the world market!

To learn how to mold your children during the most crucial stage visit the Parenting the Preteen site.


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Is Your Partner Cheating?

Posted by Willie on 17 May 2007 | Tagged as: Book Reviews, Marriage

You are starting to feel that something’s not exactly right in your relationship. And you fear the worst – your partner is having an affair. But for various reasons, you might not feel right in hiring a detective to confirm it. Would you give you up and just wait for the inevitable something to happen or would you like to find out for yourself if it’s true? Contrary to the popular clichĕ, the partner can be the FIRST to know. Other than the very obvious physical changes you can readily notice, you can try these simple strategies:

•    Notice changes in his/her attitude – Did he/she suddenly become vague about appointments or is suddenly coming up with conferences at short notices? Was there a change in the way he/she treats you and the kids? Do you still get a straight answer when you ask why the late hours? More importantly, do you still get eye contact when you get an answer? Whatever major changes in life that a person makes will be manifested in the physical. For such a drastic move as having an affair, the conscience still makes itself heard. You’ll see the tell-tale evasiveness; the difference in the way he/she talks or acts; even the lack of eye contact. Not many people can look straight into another person’s eyes when they are guilty.

•    Get somebody else to find out for you – You must know someone that your partner works with or even friends he goes out with. If you’re in good enough terms, try asking about it. It could be as direct as ‘do you know if he’s having an affair?’ or as roundabout as ‘who does he go with when they have seminars?’ Be prepared for the answer and confirm what they tell you to be on the safe side. For all you know, your informant is the other side of the guilty party as well!

•    Check your finances – There are very few things in life that will not leave a paper trail – an illicit affair is NOT one of them. See if there are withdrawals that you didn’t know about. Start noting the items on your credit card bills. If you see items that does not make sense – like a bill from a gas station when he/she was supposed to be in London for a seminar. Or charges from a hotel or a store that you don’t recall hearing about. You have every right to call these establishments about the charges. In some instances, you might even get more information that what you’ve been trying to dig up – like a dress size for instance.

Again, you can be the first to know – all it takes is a few leads.

Do you want to learn the ways on how to maintain your marriage cheat-free as it is?  Visit the Cheat-Proof Your Marriage Without Hiring a Detective page.


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5 Tips For Online Dating.

Posted by Willie on 22 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: Self Development, Book Reviews, Marriage, Achieving Goals

Online dating services are a great way to meet other people you can hang out with. In a world where everyone has busy schedules, online dating gives people a good way to meet and quite possibly make their match. , There are also those who not so busy but spend all their time on computers playing video games or going to chat rooms and forums who can benefit from online dating. However, because the internet is a virtual world, you have to be very careful and make sure you don’t get burned, which can happen sometimes too. Here are 5 tips for online dating that can help you keep your sanity intact.

1)    Establish Identities and Bona Fides
Whatever you do, be as honest as you can with the information you provide, but DON’T assume the other person is doing otherwise. It’s all too easy to post, for example, a false picture (including the dreaded gender bender) and information. Until you can prove otherwise, assume that the other person MAY actually be lying about their age, gender, address, etc. Don’t fully assume they’re lying, since this ruins the conversations you have with them. Simply hold back and have enough disbelief unless you get solid evidence to the contrary.

2)    Don’t give out vital personal information
This is very important. The last thing you want to do is to give your bank account number to someone just because she (who might be a “he”) acts all pretty and sweet. NEVER provide someone online with vital information that could be used to burn you. These could be your bank information, social security numbers, and even the user name and password of your online gaming characters. There are tons of scammers out there, and if the person you’re talking to tries a little TOO hard to pry for vital info, then drop them like a hot potato!

3)    Take your Time
There’s no rush. Sure, we all want to meet someone special but it’s best to take your time to get to know the other person. A guy who may seem like a perfect gentleman, for example, may reveal stalker tendencies after a month or two. Avoid them like the plague, girls! For the men, I trust you’ve had your own share of nightmare axe-murderess ex-girlfriends too, and those who wipe out your bank accounts so do be careful as well boys! Take your time getting to know your online date before committing to anything that might land you in hot water… or tied spread-eagled on a sacrificial pentagram with your “date” hovering over you with a rusty knife. Don’t laugh. It’s creepy but it does happen.

4)    Offer to meet in Person
Once you’re sure that you like your online date, you two get along, and you’ve got a pretty good groove going, then don’t hesitate! Ask them out! From this point on treat it like a real date. Set a time, a place, make your preparations, and go, go, go! This meeting is called an eyeball. This is the only real way you can make sure you weren’t getting spoofed by an online prankster pretending to be a chick, or a scammer out to get your money. IF your date refuses to meet in person or makes excuses to avoid an eyeball, assume the worst and bail out! There’s always another opportunity with someone better. Don’t lose hope!

5)    Take precautions when you Eyeball
Lastly, treat the eyeball like a real date, and take safety precautions accordingly. Meet in a public place, keep the initial date a “clean fun” type, and don’t carry an overly fat wallet with you in case your date is a mugger with a .44 magnum. Let your folks or, if you’re older, your buddies, know where you’re going and what time they can expect to hear from you again, just to make sure someone knows where to look for you and rescue you in case Bad Things Happen.

Your safety should always be a priority. Never take anything for granted and assume nothing bad will happen to you. Sure, that does happen only if you take the necessary precautions. Remember these tips, apply them and you can start feeling more safe in the knowledge you can always keep your head in these situations. In the meantime, enjoy your date, lucky you!

To learn more how to find true love online read the Exciting Adventure of Searching for Your Special Someone on the Internet report.


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How To Reach Desirable Romantic Compatibility

Posted by Willie on 20 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: Marriage

Romantic compatibility is one of the major factors you need to have a strong family. According to research it is 50% of all significance, compared with other factors in a good relationship in the majority of young families. Romantic dissatisfaction in the life of even one of the spouses leads to internal conflict in the family. As statistics show, this reason is the most common divorce case in society.

This dissatisfaction is often covered by spouses by other fake reasons, such as a difference of character, mean behavior, etc. Sometimes they do this subconsciously, sometimes intentionally, just to keep prestige.

So, how do you reach desirable romantic compatibility?

In a romantic relationship between a man and a woman nobody except them can establish the measure and ethics of this in their relationship.
The intimate life is strongly tied with all parts of our life. It influences our working ability, mood, and of course the moral atmosphere in family.

It is necessary to remember that romantic compatibility without love is as weak a fire as with wet firewood. If the love disappears then the romantic compatibility sooner or later disappears too. Therefore romantic compatibility and love are indissolubly connected to each other in a family relationship.

Many women don’t properly respond to their husband’s initiative during romantic moments. They can’t accept some variation of romantic intimacy that their husbands offered them. They consider them as a deviation from the norm or even a distortion.

Each person has his own understanding about the acceptable norms in romantic intimacy.
In family, for the couple, those norms after some time transform to a form that is acceptable for both partners. The happiness of a couple’s life depends on how smoothly and patiently this process goes.
The characteristic of a woman’s romantic intimacy is different from men. Some men don’t understand that because of lack in their sexual education. Many women don’t need romantic intimacy sometimes but they go along with it just because of respect to their spouse. Not having an opportunity to receive physiological satisfaction for some time, women sacrifice themselves for a wish to receive in exchange the sensitive, care, and appreciation.
In fact in romantic intimacy for the woman the foreground is the man’s personality and not the man’s physical characteristics or different romantic techniques as a lot of men think.
Ignoring the romantic part of intimacy by some men can cause in women negative feelings. Such behavior in a romantic life can lead on occasion to development in the woman an antipathy to intimate life conditions. And the normal romantic compatibility can be destroyed forever.

For woman, it is necessary to remember that from the very beginning in a romantic relationship the success of intimate happiness consist in constant stimulation of the romantic atmosphere in family and the positive judgment of a man’s actions. Any criticism in this area simply is not acceptable. Positive judgment for a man is very important; any criticism can cause a deep and indelible insult.

As a result of the formed conflict there is a negative process that develops that destroys romantic compatibility. It’s turned into the necessity of the search for self-affirmation on the side and leads to an affair.

To the husband, don’t give an example of good romantic intimacy with women from your past experience. In the beginning of the relationship not all woman can receive pleasure from romantic intimacy, therefore don’t demand to show the passion from them right away. Be patient and after a while you will be rewarded.

And in the end you should know that romantic incompatibility in the pure state happens very seldom and as experts in this area consider, the reason is only in an impotence of the man or frigidity of the woman. In the rest cases this is just a made up thing, the result of misunderstanding and lack of knowledge in romantic intimacy and the family relationship area.

If you would like to have more useful information on this subject, check out the Secrets of a Happy Marriage Revealed! E-book. This book will teach you how to bring back the romance, the excitement, and the fire by satisfying the loving needs of your spouse!


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