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Dear CMR:

I’m the father of a 3-year-old. Neither my wife nor I ever get enough sleep. When our daughter wakes us up in the morning, I try to quietly get her out of the bedroom so my wife can keep sleeping. More often than not, however, my wife spends this time on her phone emailing, texting, and reading news and social media posts. This bugs me. The way I look at it, if one of us can get a little extra sleep, that helps us both. I’m willing to handle the morning routine solo to make that happen. I’m not, however, willing to do it so my wife can get caught up on her work and social life while I fall further behind on mine. But if a gift is a gift—I’m not supposed to say how it gets used, right? Do I have a right to be annoyed here?

—Rather Be Snoozing

Dear CMR:

We’ve been married five years, and we typically communicate well, even during times of conflict. However, we can’t seem to resolve an issue about “dating while married.” I heard on your Art of Relationships podcast that it is important to continue dating, but my spouse thinks it’s no longer necessary, and it’s too expensive. Any suggestions to help us resolve this? 

Signed, 

Done Dating?

Changing your perspective to focus on the positive qualities of your spouse can completely transform your marriage. Alisa Grace shares four effective steps on how you can start doing this today!

Life was a fast-paced sprint until COVID-19. The world shut down and life as we knew it came to a screeching halt. In today’s blog, Natalie Comstock talks about the blessing in disguise that this was for her marriage. She shares how slowing down and reevaluating what matters most in life is a gift that we can all learn from in this unique time.

Dear CMR,

I have been dating my girlfriend for five years, and I’m getting ready to propose. She has taken out loans to pay for grad school, but I have a nest egg I can use to pay them off now. If we are getting married in 1.5 years, should I pay off her school loan now or wait until we are married?

Signed,

Avoiding Debt

As parents, raising kids isn’t easy. On one hand it can be thrilling and on the other hand, they can make you want to pull your hair out. In this week’s video, Alisa Grace shares five essential steps to raising emotionally healthy children from psychologist Dr. John Gottman’s book Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child.

Dear CMR:

My husband and I are in crisis and on the brink of breaking up. We don't want to because we have two kids, but something has to change. What initial steps should we take in mending the relationship?

Signed, Fed Up

Dr. Chris Grace explains the effects of anxiety on relationships and what healthy steps you can take if you are experiencing those symptoms.