http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/ Relationships articles and media reviews for the education and entertainment of families. 2007-06-25T03:55:42+00:00en-usCopyright © 2000-2009 FamilyResource.com. All Rights Reserved. http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/communication/conversation-starter-great-conversation-starters-with-parents?via=feedDo you struggle to have a meaningful conversation with your parents?  Beth Sanders has some great conversation starters and tips to remember next time you pick the phone. text/plain2007-06-25T03:55:42+00:00Beth Sanders http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/conflict-and-anger/the-courage-to-confront?via=feedOne of the most significant underlying assumptions that many people internalize is, "I must avoid conflict at all costs; if I let others know what I think and feel, I might get disappointed and hurt." However, "sweeping things under the rug" tends to eventually magnify unresolved interactions and events. Resentment, which looms on the other side of our passive behavior, clouds our confidence and judgment.text/plain2007-02-20T15:13:22+00:00James P. Krehbiel http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/building-and-maintaining/unrealistic-expectations-in-relationships?via=feedOften, we believe that others ought to treat us the way we want them to respond. We may tend to put a relationship on a pedestal expecting more from an interpersonal relationship than it can deliver. Then when others fail to meet our expectations, we feel betrayed, frustrated, and resentful.text/plain2006-12-14T18:10:11+00:00James P. Krehbiel http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/building-and-maintaining/the-impact-of-intimacy?via=feedThe impact of intimacy lies at the core of every significant relationship. Cultivating intimacy takes a lot of work. Intimacy is a complex set of feelings and behaviors that develop out of a relationship based upon integrity, commitment, passion and respect.text/plain2006-11-27T01:02:29+00:00James P. Krehbiel http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/building-and-maintaining/the-terrors-of-life-with-an-ocd-wife?via=feedWhat in the heck happened? Why didn't I see it coming? I guess I should give myself a break. I suppose you have to live with a partner before fully understanding the differences in the way people "live." It didn't take me long to find out that we lived on polar planets.text/plain2006-07-06T17:20:26+00:00James P. Krehbiel http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/abuse-and-violence/abuse-through-the-eyes-of-the-abused-part-2-of-2?via=feedThose who have been abused generally have experienced a roller-coaster ride of emotional upheaval. They have learned to doubt their own instincts, minimize the pain of betrayal, and have succumbed to the manipulation, or power and control of their mates. They will talk about horrid manifestations of abuse without any emotional intensity attached to the experiences. The discussion of their stories comes across as an afterthought.text/plain2006-06-19T05:50:23+00:00James P. Krehbiel http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/abuse-and-violence/abuse-through-the-eyes-of-the-abuser-part-1-of-2?via=feedThe abuser generally has minimal insight into the significance of his problem. Raging and physical intimidation emerge naturally out of a sense of entitlement. The underlying assumption of the perpetrator of violence is, "People must act the way I want them to or they will pay for their actions."text/plain2006-06-11T01:15:24+00:00James P. Krehbiel http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/marriage/6-tips-for-keeping-the-spark-alive-in-your-marriage-after-children?via=feedAs impossible as it might seem, it's crucial for parents to maintain intimacy in their relationship. Not only is it essential for the marriage, it's also important for the children. Here's six tips to help parents keep the spark alive in their marriage.text/plain2006-05-18T07:04:53+00:00Jon Henshaw, M.A. http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/building-and-maintaining/love-will-keep-us-together?via=feedI have often noticed that couples who work hard on their relationship more than their relationship with their kids seem to hold up better in stressful times. Hear me out - I know that your relationship with your kids is what you live for and the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to you. I agree and understand that. But, I find it as (if not more) important to keep the strength of my relationship with my husband on the other front burner. A solid marriage can slip away pretty quickly if you aren't tending to it as diligently as you would your role as a parent. Here are some things that work for us and for friends of ours who agree that one day our kids will be grown people with lives of their own and loves of their own.text/plain2006-04-25T19:24:57+00:00Lisa Donovan http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/building-and-maintaining/relationship-glue?via=feedAlthough several types of love play an important role in marriage, it's Agape love that acts as "relationship glue". Agape love is often described as, "Self-sacrificing love. Altruistic love that is experienced by people willing to do things for another person with no expectations."text/plain2006-03-27T02:05:17+00:00Jon Henshaw, M.A. http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/conflict-and-anger/couples-can-learn-to-fight-fair?via=feedMany couples get caught up in arguing over the typical problems that plague relationships. The list of topics that couples "lock horns" over is actually quite short. Generally, couples feud over finances, household tasks, in-laws, parenting issues, and lack of trust. Conflict resolution takes work and patience.text/plain2006-02-22T17:20:13+00:00James P. Krehbiel http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/conflict-and-anger/financial-feuds-and-relationship-wreckage?via=feedOne of the major presenting problems that couples bring to the counseling process is financial conflict. Many partners believe that if the issues of finances can be resolved, then their relationship will be restored. However, financial conflict in marriage is symptomatic of various underlying problems that warrant exploration.text/plain2005-11-30T18:30:55+00:00James P. Krehbiel http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/building-and-maintaining/roots-for-relationship-failure?via=feedWithin any intimate relationship, there must be a balanced cycle of contact and withdrawal. This means that in relationships, there needs to be a flow between meaningful connectedness and the ability to provide each other with appropriate psychological space. Couples must learn to be self-sufficient and confident enough to move between emotional contact and the need for appropriate distance.text/plain2005-11-30T18:21:02+00:00James P. Krehbiel http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/dating/establishing-a-relationship-on-the-rebound?via=feedAfter a relationship has ended, many people quickly turn to new relationships as a means of reestablishing a sense of feeling centered. Often, feeling alone and abandoned, one may rush to fill the void by cultivating a new relationship on the rebound.text/plain2005-11-04T03:45:03+00:00James P. Krehbiel http://www.familyresource.com/relationships/building-and-maintaining/patterns-that-lead-to-relationship-failure?via=feedWithin any intimate relationship, there must be a balanced cycle of contact and withdrawal. This means that in relationships, there needs to be a flow between meaningful connectedness and the ability to provide each other with appropriate psychological space. Couples must learn to be self-sufficient and confident enough to move between emotional contact and the need for appropriate distance. text/plain2005-10-30T02:49:07+00:00James P. Krehbiel