The First Few Years of Marriage


Book Description

When a marriage is new, it’s exciting. But as time passes, couples can drift apart and wrestle with the challenges that are common in any marriage. It can feel overwhelming, but together, couples will find that a healthy marriage has thousands of course changes. In this follow-up to Getting Ready for Marriage, authors Jim Burns and Doug Fields offer a practical guide designed to help newlyweds build a strong foundation for a marriage that will last a lifetime. Along with explaining the traits of a healthy marriage, The First Few Years of Marriage helps couples rekindle romance, fight fair, and deal with stress, the challenges of the first baby, and much more. This easy-to-read book gives married couples everything they need to go the distance together.




And Baby Makes Three


Book Description

Having a baby is a joyous experience, but even the best relationships are strained during the transition from duo to trio. Lack of sleep, never-ending housework, and new fiscal concerns often lead to conflict, disappointment, and hurt feelings. In And Baby Makes Three Love Lab™ experts John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman teach couples the skills from their successful workshops, so partners can avoid the pitfalls of parenthood by: • maintaining intimacy and romance • replacing a culture of criticism and irritability with one of appreciation • preventing post-partum depression • creating a home environment that nurtures physical, emotional, and mental health, as well as cognitive and behavioral development for your baby Complete with exercises that separate the “master” from the “disaster” couples, And Baby Makes Three helps new parents positively manage the strain that comes along with their bundle of joy.







Thanks for Nothing


Book Description

Single mothers face unique economic challenges, which have persisted despite women's gains in higher education and the workplace. Drawing on forty years of data from two national surveys, Nicholas H. Wolfinger and Matthew McKeever explore the contradictions that lie at the heart of single motherhood. They find that some single mothers are doing better even as others have fallen through the cracks. Providing an in-depth look into the economics of single motherhood, Thanks for Nothing offers the most detailed statistical portrait of single mothers to date and, importantly, provides concrete suggestions for how policymakers should respond to persisting inequalities among mothers.




The Millennial Marriage


Book Description

This essential text explores the concept of "Me-Marriage"—a marital relationship that blends individualized life goals and interests—and draws from research on the current benefits and costs of marriage to consider how to achieve success, both individually and relationally. Chapters explore the larger patterns at play and identify the trends about what a modern "healthy marriage" looks like for this new generation. Brian J. Willoughby combines a review of the latest social science research on the benefits and costs of marriage with new quantitative and qualitative data from married and single adults. The book explores how marriage has fundamentally shifted in the Western world due to the changing values and approaches to relationships by the Millennial generation that is now largely transitioning to marriage. This book is an ideal text for clinicians and practitioners (particularly those working with young married populations) looking for guidance on how to understand the increasingly complex ways that adults are navigating their relationship landscape, as well as students and scholars in the fields of psychology, family studies, and sociology and those interested in individual development, relational development, and demographic trends on the family.




An Emotional Gauntlet


Book Description

Stuart J. Wright tells the gripping story of a World War II American aircrew flying missions from England in a B-24 Liberator bomber they nicknamed Corky. This is a true account based on years of research and correspondence with crewmembers and their families. Wright adds a dimension rarely explored in other World War II memoirs and narratives, beginning the chronicle during peacetime when the men of the aircrew are introduced as civilians-kids during the 1920s. As they mature through the years of the Great Depression to face a world at war, questions are raised about "just" and "unjust" wars, imperialism, and patriotism. Jingoistic sentimentality is resisted in favor of objectivity, as the feelings and motivations of the crewmembers are explored: the Chinese American air gunner had hoped to serve in the U.S. Army Air Force to fight against the Japanese invaders of his homeland; the Jewish navigator felt compelled to join the battle against Nazi Germany. In recounting the harrowing conditions and horrors of bombing missions over Europe, An Emotional Gauntlet emphasizes the interpersonal relationships within the crew and the spirit these men shared. Corky's crew served under Operations Officer Major James Stewart (the Hollywood movie star.) They often returned from arduous bombing missions to sleep in half-empty huts--their friends in other planes had not been so lucky. Pilot Jack Nortridge regularly assured his crew, "If you fly with me, I'm going to bring you home." This book is a testament to their strength and determination.




The Essential Guide to a Lasting Marriage


Book Description

If you're going to say "I do,” you want to mean it . . . for a lifetime. Today, many couples struggle with keeping their marriages alive—maybe because they look at marriage as a job instead of an emotional partnership. In this insightful and practical guide, the authors share concrete insights and ideas that can help carry a couple along life's long romantic journey together. • Down-to-earth accessible advice filled with real-life anecdotes. • Addresses each stage of a lifelong relationship.







The Uncommon Marriage Adventure


Book Description

An adventure in love . . . An adventure in faith . . . An adventure in growing closer to God and each other than ever before. It all begins here. Tony and Lauren Dungy invite you to join them in The Uncommon Marriage Adventure, a book of daily reflections for couples based on the eight keys that have carried them through the best and worst of times. Every day you'll find something to talk about, to pray over, to enjoy together, and to touch your heart. As you read, you'll celebrate the commitment you've made to each other and rediscover the joy in your relationship. Dare to embark on your own marriage adventure--and see, as Tony and Lauren have, that marriage can be deeply, richly, beautifully uncommon. From the inside flap: Marriage is an adventure unlike any other. At times, you and your spouse may feel so close, connected, and in love that you're ready to take on the world together. But other times, you may feel distant, and you wonder where all the joy and excitement has gone. What is the secret to a happy, healthy, God-honoring marriage--one that will last through anything that comes your way? Join Tony and Lauren Dungy in The Uncommon Marriage Adventure, a series of daily readings, Bible verses, and conversation starters for couples. With transparency, wisdom, and humor, the Dungys share what they've learned over thirty years of marriage about faith, teamwork, conflict, communication, and more. Each day, you and your spouse will go deeper in loving, understanding, and learning to serve each other in ways that are truly wonderful--and truly uncommon.