What To Say To Your Teenage Son When He’s Struggling (Hint: it’s not “Man up!”)

What To Say To Your Teenage Son When He’s Struggling (Hint: it’s not “Man up!”)

Now that the new school year is upon us, I’m reminded of a woman who wrote in to ask for advice on dealing with her oldest son who was having a tough first year of high school. It involved him leaving old friends behind in middle school, trying to make new ones, figuring out what…

When You Criticize and He Withdraws, This is What’s Really Happening

When You Criticize and He Withdraws, This is What’s Really Happening

According to Deborah, her husband Marcus has an anger problem, and she doesn’t know how to handle it. They’ve always had “intense discussions,” but lately he’s been getting furious and walking away. As she tells it, they recently got into a fight on their way out of a restaurant, just because she told him that…

When Feelings and Logic Seem Incompatible: Navigating Emotional Minefields

When Feelings and Logic Seem Incompatible: Navigating Emotional Minefields

We have all heard the funny saying that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. When it comes to processing strong emotions, this could be close to the truth! And understanding those differences will give you much better communication – especially when you need it most! Wives, when you are in a passionate…

This is what inadequacy feels like to your man

This is what inadequacy feels like to your man

For a moment, I’d like you to picture a mortifying scenario that may or may not have actually happened recently. Imagine that you’re an author and public speaker. Imagine that, hypothetically, you’ve spent fifteen years uncovering ‘aha moments’ about relationships – and that your audiences are usually quite engaged and interested as a result. You…

Hurt Feelings? Try This One Thing To Change Your Perspective

Hurt Feelings? Try This One Thing To Change Your Perspective

After finding herself on the receiving end of her husband’s hurtful behavior one too many times, Andrea questioned me about a principle I shared in my book The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages: it’s important to believe the best of your spouse’s intentions. As she saw it, all that principle does is give your spouse…