When my oldest daughter was in 10th grade, she said something that floored me. She said she was going to her friend’s house. What? Just the night before, she spent 20 minutes in painstaking detail sharing how this same friend had been unkind to her....
If you are wondering how to save money in marriage, my wife has you covered. Family legend has it that she was already fiscally responsible at age 5. For her birthday, her grandmother gave her $20 in dollar bills. Nancie’s mom surprised her by using...
Criticism in marriage is never a good thing, and it's my biggest regret as I reflect on my first few years of marriage. Early on, I had heard repeatedly that communication is the key to a successful marriage. So, I needed to communicate the things...
After having his cat for a few months, my son announced that unlike other cats, his cat likes to lie on cold things. So, without my approval, my brain clicked into confirmation bias. I suddenly noticed that everything the cat was lying on was cold,...
Knowing how to make your wife feel loved and appreciated can feel like a massive and complicated task. However, I’ve worked with married couples for a long time, and I believe more than ever that marriage is made up of the tiny things. It’s not...
Knowing the things to say to kids can be challenging. But most of us dads have a couple of essential one-liners in our toolbox: I love you, and I'm proud of you. And while those two are vital, adding a few other one-liners to the...
In case you aren’t familiar, The Amazing Race is a worldwide competition packed with mental and physical challenges in diverse cultures. It is also a ride of emotions, and couples must work together to be successful. Nancie and I find ourselves rooting for some couples...
I'm a speaker and writer. No matter the size of the audience or the amount of book sales, my kids could NOT care less. The only thing they like about my speaking is that they sometimes travel with me, experiencing all the luxuries that come...
After speaking at an event on the power of words, a man said to me, “I’m 83 years old, and I still remember my mother telling me as a child that she loved me, but she didn’t like me.” I wasn’t shocked to hear this....
Confirmation bias is a big deal in relationships, but especially in marriage. I will spare you the more clinical definition of confirmation bias. Simply put, confirmation bias means you find what you are looking for. This happens in marriage when we assign negative feelings to...