“When he picks up salted butter instead of unsalted from the store, and you start to question if he’s really ‘the one.’” Marriage Memes We’ve all been there. One wrong stick of butter, one sock next to the hamper, one “what do you mean we’re out of milk, I was just at the store,” and…
A silent divorce is when a couple stays married but lives separate emotional lives: polite, practical and disconnected. Here are the signs, why it happens, and how couples reconnect or decide what’s next.
To tell your spouse you’re unhappy in the marriage, choose a calm, private time, begin with care and your own feelings, name two or three specific things rather than a long list of faults, say what you want to change and ask for their view. The goal is to open a conversation, not deliver a…
If your spouse won’t go to marriage counseling, you can’t force them, but you can still do a great deal. Understand why they’re resisting, make the request in a way that lowers the threat, offer options (a different counselor, online sessions, a short trial, a single session for a specific issue), go on your own…
Wanting to leave your marriage and feeling guilty about it is one of the most common and painful experiences in a long relationship. Guilt doesn’t automatically mean you should stay, and it doesn’t mean you should go. It means you care about your spouse, your family and your commitments. The most helpful approach is to…
When your wife says she loves you but isn’t “in love” with you, it usually means she still cares about you and values the life you share but no longer feels the romantic and emotional pull she once did. That can be devastating to hear, and it’s not necessarily the end. Often it signals deep…
Good co-parenting means keeping your children’s needs ahead of your conflict with their other parent. The most effective co-parents keep communication businesslike and respectful, stay consistent about routines and rules where they can, never put children in the middle, use a clear written schedule and get outside help when they’re stuck. You don’t have to…
Marriage counseling can work, and research on couples therapy generally finds that many couples who attend report meaningful improvement in their relationship, especially when both partners are willing, the counselor is well matched and they start before resentment is deeply entrenched. It isn’t magic, and it doesn’t work for everyone. Outcomes depend on how motivated…
Gray divorce is the term for divorce among couples who are 50 or older, often after decades of marriage. Researchers who study marriage have reported that divorce among older adults has become more common than it was a generation ago, and a growing share of people divorcing are in midlife and beyond. The reasons are…
Whether you should get a divorce depends on questions only you can answer: Is your marriage safe? Is there still respect and willingness on both sides? Have you tried to change what’s broken? Can you imagine a future that feels livable if you stay, and one that feels livable if you leave? This guide offers…