Making Marriage Work For Dummies

The inspiration for countless one-liners, witty sayings, stage farces and not a few murder mysteries, marriage is more than just a relationship between two people. It s one of life s biggest adventures and a healthy marriage can be one of life s greatest gifts. But weathering the stresses and strains of married life and maintaining healthy marital bonds over a span of decades takes work, and sometimes you need help from a friendly expert. Which is where Making Marriage Work For Dummies comes in. Drawing on their experiences with thirty years of marriage, during which they raised three children, as well as decades of couples counseling, experts Steven and Sue Simring show you how to build a strong, happy and long-lasting marriage. They offer priceless tips on how to deal with most problems that come up between married couples, and they offer advice on how to: Make your relationship more romantic Work out big and small differences Argue in ways that strengthen you relationship Resolve disputes over money Cope with mid-life change Handle a spouse who cheats Deal with families and in-laws Reduce stress on your marriage Understand your partner s annoying habits and quirks Balance career and family goals Seek professional help when you need it Illustrating their points with insightful, often amusing anecdotes from their own marriage and from the marriages of hundreds of couples they ve counseled over the years, the Simrings explore such crucial topics as: Deciding if marriage is right for you Six common marriage myths Understanding the roots of marital problems Communicating with your partner The do s and don ts of fair marital fighting Making marriage sexy Examining the marriage life cycle Ideas for resolving money differences Succeeding with remarriage Filled with ideas you can use now to keep your marriage as strong as the day you took your vows, this is a survival guide for everyone committed to making marriage work.

The inspiration for countless one-liners, witty sayings, stagefarces and not a few murder mysteries, marriage is more than just arelationship between two people. It's one oflife's biggest adventures and a healthy marriage can be oneof life's greatest gifts. But weathering the stresses andstrains of married life and maintaining healthy marital bonds overa span of decades takes work, and sometimes you need help from afriendly expert. Which is where Making Marriage Work ForDummies comes in.Drawing on their experiences with thirty years of marriageduring which they raised three children, as well as decades ofcouples counseling, experts Steven and Sue Simring show you how tobuild a strong, happy and long-lasting marriage. They offerpriceless tips on how to deal with most problems that come upbetween married couples, and they offer advice on how to:* Make your relationship more romantic* Work out big and small differences* Argue in ways that strengthen you relationship* Resolve disputes over money* Cope with mid-life change* Handle a spouse who cheats* Deal with families and in-laws* Reduce stress on your marriage* Understand your partner's annoying habits and quirks* Balance career and family goals* Seek professional help when you need itIllustrating their points with insightful, often amusinganecdotes from their own marriage and from the marriages ofhundreds of couples they've counseled over the years, theSimrings explore such crucial topics as:* Deciding if marriage is right for you* Six common marriage myths* Understanding the roots of marital problems* Communicating with your partner* The do's and don'ts of fair marital fighting* Making marriage sexy* Examining the marriage life cycle* Ideas for resolving money differences* Succeeding with remarriageFilled with ideas you can use now to keep your marriage asstrong as the day you took your vows, this is a survival guide foreveryone committed to making marriage work.

Foreword.Introduction.PART I: What It Means To Say "I Do!".Chapter 1: Taking a Candid Look at Marriage.Chapter 2: The Five Building Blocks of a Working Marriage.PART II: Can We Talk?Chapter 3: Understanding the Roots of Marital Problems.Chapter 4: Communicating with Your Partner.Chapter 5: Fighting the Fair Way.PART III: Making Marriage Sexy.Chapter 6: Developing a Great Sex Life.Chapter 7: When Sex Falters.PART IV: Examining the Marriage Life Cycle.Chapter 8: The First Years of Marriage.Chapter 9: The Growing Family.Chapter 10: Women and Men at Midlife.Chapter 11: Making the Most of Marriage at Midlife.Chapter 12: Remarriage and Stepfamilies.PART V: Maintaining a Healthy Marriage.Chapter 13: Reducing the Stress on Your Marriage.Chapter 14: Exploring the Role of Money in Marriage.Chapter 15: Examining Extramarital Affairs -- and Knowing What toDo about Them.Chapter 16: Getting Outside Help.Chapter 17: Understanding Divorce and Its Alternatives.PART VI: The Part of Tens.Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Make Your Marriage More Romantic.Chapter 19: Ten Things You Should Never Say to Your Partner.Chapter 20: Ten Ways To Have a Fair Fight.Chapter 21: Ten Signs That Your Marriage Is in Trouble.Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Have a More Exciting Sex Life.Appendix A: References.Appendix B: Resources.Index.Book Registration Information.