Best Advice on Starting a Happy Marriage: 150 Ways to Keep Your Love Alive and Stay Together for Good
()
About this ebook
More than 2,300,000 couples get married every year in America. And as each of these couples embarks on a new marriage, there's an almost universal hope for years of happiness. As any couple that's been married for longer than a week will tell you, achieving that dream takes work on the part of both partners. Best Advice on Starting a Happy Marriage presents real solutions from women who've navigated the course of marriage over the years and covers such topics as communication, fighting fair, and keeping the romantic flame alive. This book will inspire and help newlyweds as they build their union, and serve as a wonderful engagement, bridal shower or wedding gift.
- If your goal is to achieve a solution to a problem, then two heads really are better than one. But if there is a need for one person to always be right, then the problem will just continue. Put the egos aside.
- Remember that romance, and making up after a fight, is not just about flowers or sweet talk. Do thoughtful, practical things for your spouse to show you're sorry or that you care: pick up a special treat for him at the grocery store, or fill up a tank of gas when you know he'll be pressed for time.
- Remember that you are best friends.
Related to Best Advice on Starting a Happy Marriage
Related ebooks
Make It Last Forever: The Dos and Don'ts Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love and Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Coupledom Trap Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecret Codes to a Happier Marriage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHusband vs Boyfriend Duties Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Makes a Happy Marriage: Maybe It’s Friendliness or Romance or Simply Being Extra Lovable That’s Missing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Argument-Free Marriage: 28 Days to Creating the Marriage You've Always Wanted with the Spouse You Already Have Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove for a Lifetime: Daily Wisdom and Wit for a Long and Happy Marriage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rules of Engagement: Rules of Engagement: Learning from Nine Couples Who Made Marriage Work Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExtraordinary Marriage: Practical Guide to Successful Relationships a Collection of Love & Life Articles Vol. 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBefore Saying "I Do": The Essential Guide to a Successful Marriage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove, Sex & Everything In Between: A Relationship Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhy Marriage Is Hell And How It Can Be Heaven Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ladder of Love in Marriage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Relationship Saver / The Gameless Relationship: A Fast Track Manual for Saving and Repairing Your Relationship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCouple Vitality: Connecting with Character Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDivorcing Santa Claus: A Survivor's Guide Through Divorce Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Get Your Partner to Listen to You Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAuthentic Soulmates: Tips on the Journey to Intimacy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Love Fix: Repair and Restore Your Relationship Right Now Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Couple's Comfort Book: A Creative Guide for Renewing Passion, Pleasure & Commitment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNext! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarriage-Never Give Up! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMake It Last Forever: A Loving Marriage Works Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLoving When You Don’T Feel Like It Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReboot Your Relationship: Restoring Love Through Real Connection in a Disconnected World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Laws of Love: Creating the Relationship of Your Dreams Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Torn Together Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrue Love 7 Steps To The Marriage You Really Want! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShould I Go Back: Why Giving Your Marriage One Last Try Could Actually Help You Move On Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Self-Improvement For You
Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated For the Next Generation of Leaders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is The Beginning & End Of Suffering Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Big Book of 30-Day Challenges: 60 Habit-Forming Programs to Live an Infinitely Better Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mastery of Self: A Toltec Guide to Personal Freedom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Self-Care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Prioritize You! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Language of Letting Go: Daily Meditations on Codependency Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Not Dying You're Just Waking Up Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Think and Grow Rich (Illustrated Edition): With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall In Love With the Process of Becoming Great Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Reviews for Best Advice on Starting a Happy Marriage
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Best Advice on Starting a Happy Marriage - Stacia Ragolia
Best Advice on
STARTING A HAPPY MARRIAGE
Foreword by STACIA RAGOLIA
RUTLEDGE HILL PRESS™
Nashville, Tennessee
A DIVISION OF THOMAS NELSON, INC.
www.ThomasNelson.com
Copyright © 2003 by iVillage Inc.
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without prior permission of the publisher.
Published by Rutledge Hill Press, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc.,
P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee 37214.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Best advice on starting a happy marriage / foreword by Stacia Ragolia.
p. cm. — (iVillage Solutions)
Excerpts from online discussions on the iVillage.com web site.
ISBN 1-4016-0097-2
1. Marriage. I. Series
HQ734.B615 2003
306.81—dc21
2003005206
Printed in the United States of America
03 04 05 06 07 — 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Foreword by Stacia Ragolia
Preface
Chapter 1: How to Stay in Love
Chapter 2: How to Communicate How to Handle the Tough Stuff
Chapter 3: How to Handle the Tough Stuff
Chapter 4: How to Deal with Money as a Couple
Chapter 5: How to Live Together Happily—Forever
Other Books from
iVillage Solutions
Best Advice on Finding Mr. Right
Best Advice on Life After Baby Arrives
Heirloom Recipes
Quiz Therapy
FOREWORD
By Stacia Ragolia
In my early twenties, before I myself wed, a friend of mine received a pair of Indonesian marriage dolls as a wedding gift. Traditionally, these dolls are placed outside the door of a couple’s house for the first year of their marriage. When the dolls are set next to each other, shoulder to shoulder and facing outward in the same direction, those visiting know that there is harmony in the house. How powerful, I thought—defining marital happiness not as gazing into each other’s eyes but looking out toward the same horizon.
That every couple embarking on a marriage hopes it will be a happy one is a given. But making that a reality stymies at least half of all couples who say, I do;
as the oft-quoted statistics show, about one in every two marriages ends in divorce. This book presents lessons from the other side of those numbers. The women who have contributed their advice to this book have, collectively, navigated hundreds of years of happy marriage. They represent the 50 percent who stay together.
Like that older sister or aunt who has a few years of marriage under her belt and pulls you aside at the wedding reception to impart some of her advice, the women whose insights and solutions make up this book are here to give you pointers as you set out on an adventure we all hope will last your entire life.
None of these women will pretend that arguments don’t occur, challenges don’t arise, or setbacks don’t crop up. Having a happy marriage, they’ll tell you, is not about avoiding problems, but learning how to deal with them—together. Whether the issue at hand is a depleted bank account, how to raise the kids (or even whether to have any), or whose turn it is to load the dishwasher, a couple needs to come at the situation with the belief that they’re ultimately on the same side. As one woman puts it, You are a team, living together as a unit. Treat your spouse the way you would want to be treated. No one is perfect. Address problems, learn from mistakes, and always look toward the future.
Which brings us to some other powerful lessons happy couples know. You can deal with today’s problems if you base your actions on a belief that tomorrow you’ll still be together. Treating your spouse with respect helps you deal with situations rationally. And finally, a sense of humor helps turn even the worst moment around. My spouse and I have always agreed that we’d rather die laughing than live sadly,
relates one of our contributors. It’s much easier to get past a bad joke than it is to take back hurtful words once spoken.
So do