Besides creating an economic crisis, COVID-19 is bringing conflict into some homes. Rate (and improve) your relationship
Not all of us are living happily ever after. Are you surprised? I didn’t think so! If absence makes the heart grow fonder, the opposite might also be true about too much time spent together in close quarters. A former colleague recently told me that call volumes for domestic disputes are on the rise. This…
Resentment over wrongs, disagreements over the kids and financial worries can be breeding grounds for some of the worst adult behaviour
They loved each other so much. Everyone thought they were a perfect couple. Of all the couples in their circle, they definitely had the advantage, communicating so well with each other. That’s what we all thought – until they got divorced! When that perfect couple is at an impasse, why start fighting like children? Communication…
Michaelle LeManne Lamb says the potential for wedding creativity is endless at Azuridge Estate Hotel
Michaelle LeManne Lamb is wedding director at Azuridge Estate Hotel. How has the challenging economy in Calgary in recent years impacted the wedding industry? Michaelle: Couples have definitely become more cognizant of how they spend their wedding dollars in recent years. The reality is that weddings are not a necessary expense, but are tied to…
There are sharp differences in family life satisfaction and perceived relationship stability between married and cohabiting parents
As surely as spring arrives this month, wedding season won’t be far behind. But the peal of wedding bells signifies more than just the formalization of a relationship, according to new data from the Global Family and Gender Survey (GFGS). Statistics Canada numbers also shed light on the issue. In short, there are sharp differences in…
As studies show that we're delaying or choosing not to get married, we need to recognize the overwhelming value of marriage
Dating apps abound – and the new Facebook Dating is getting into the game in Canada – but all the technology in the world hasn’t changed a significant social trend: Young adults are the forefront of dwindling and delayed marriage in Canada. Even increasing common-law relationships haven’t picked up the slack. Young Canadian adults are…
Marriage understands shared existence, including the economic, spiritual, social and sexual aspects of our lives
With the Ontario government’s public consultations on a new sex-ed curriculum well underway, we should recognize that both the old and new versions of the document suffer from the same fatal flaw. Neither makes any effort to educate about marriage – in fact, the word is never mentioned – as a significant social institution. The…
Although separation and divorce are always painful, it may be the best option for some couples and their families
In the unstable world of mental illness, it is not surprising that existing marital problems can complicate things further, or that new marital tensions can be created. Many of my patients who come to me with anxiety or depression also have significant problems in their marriages. Whether they recognize it or not, these difficulties are…
From health to wealth, from personal happiness to better outcomes for children, the benefits of traditional relationships are many
By Andrea Mrozek and Peter Jon Mitchell Cardus Canadian supporters of marriage are speaking up – and not a moment too soon. In a recent Angus Reid Institute survey, about 56 per cent of Canadians said, “marriage is simply not necessary” to form a lifelong relationship. Almost the same proportion (57 per cent) went on…
Your life used to be fairly predictable: get a job, get married, have kids, retire. Today's uncertain world requires a whole different set of skills
I just learned a new acronym: VUCA, which stands for volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. I guess I’m behind the times since the term has been around since 1998, when it was introduced in the U.S. military to describe the situation in Afghanistan, replacing some less printable alternatives. Unfortunately, today VUCA describes far more than…
To make wedding wishes come true and wedding vows a reality for the long haul, spouses need to overcome the very human tendency to focus on the self
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip just celebrated their platinum anniversary. That’s a milestone that few couples attain. While I’m not an expert on marriage (although I’ve been happily married for 35 years, half that of the Royal couple), I suspect the dream of a happy and long-lasting marriage is not any different today than 70…