Twogether In Texas : Recommended Reading : Marriage
Author: Linda Waite, Maggie Gallagher
The Case for Marriage is a critically important intervention in the national debate about the future of family. Based on the authoritative research of family sociology Linda J. Waite, journalist Maggie Gallagher, and a number of other scholars, this book's findings dramatically contradict the anti-marriage myths that have become the common sense of most Americans. Today a broad consensus holds that marriages are a bad deal for women, that divorce is better for children when parents are unhappy, and that marriage is essentially a private choice, not a public institution. Waite and Gallagher flatly contradict these assumptions, arguing instead that by a broad range of indexes, marriage is actually better for you than being single or divorced-physically, materially, and spiritually. They contend that married people live longer, have better health, earn more money, accumulate more wealth, feel more fulfillments in their lives, enjoy more satisfying sexual relationships, and have happier and more successful children than those who remain single, cohabit, or get divorced. The Case for Marriage penetrates cultural criticism by combining clearheaded analysis and practical advice for strengthening the institution of marriage, and provides clear, essential guidelines for reestablishing marriage as the foundation for a healthy and happy society.
Why Marriage Matters: Reasons to Believe in Marriage in Post-Modern Society
Author: Glenn T. Stanton
In a society that is leaning more toward cohabitation, here's a resource that supports the institution of marriage. With thorough research, the author examines the truth about cohabiting, divorce and remarriage and gives clear evidence on how marriage benefits society. A great resource for pastors, counselors, parents and more!
The First Five Years of Marriage: Launching a Lifelong, Successful Relationship
Author: Wilford Wooten, Phillip Swihart
What are the keys to a strong, lifetime marriage? Thousands of couples asked the same question and Focus on the Family's trusted counseling staff answered with this essential marriage reference. Find wise advice to such questions as, "How can I change my spouse?," "What about birth control?" and "Are we falling out of love?" With easy to find, biblical answers to some of the toughest relationship questions, you'll find this practical guide one you'll refer to often.
Author: David Blankenhorn
David Blankenhorn makes clear that the social issue of our time is not whether marriage will be "expanded" to include same sex couples. The real issue is whether marriage as an institution will be so emptied of meaning that it becomes a gender neutral institution, rather than the premier gender-based institution of society. This isn't fundamentally about gay people. The issue is marriage: what marriage is, and what it does for society. Blankenhorn argues convincingly that gender-neutral marriage, (which is what same sex marriage will create) cannot perform the social functions that marriage universally performs: marriage attaches children with their fathers and mothers to each other. Even in societies that tolerate pre-marital sex, permit polygamy, or take a relaxed approach to divorce, the basic idea of marriage across time and cultures does not change: for every child, a mother and a father. Human societies strive to have children affiliated with both their biological parents. The mother and child unit has universally been considered incomplete, and the sociological position of the father considered indispensable. Universally, that is, up until the last generation in modern western societies.
Marriage and Caste in America: Separate and Unequal Families in a Post-Marital Age
Author: Kay Hymowitz
A generation ago Americans undertook a revolutionary experiment to redefine marriage. The results of this experiment separating marriage from childrearing are in, and they are bad news for children and for the country as a whole. The family upheaval has hit African-Americans especially hard. We forgot what American marriage was designed to do: it ordered lives by giving the young a meaningful life script. It supported middle-class foresight, planning, and self-sufficiency. And it organized men and women around The Mission--nurturing their children's cognitive, emotional, and physical development. It is The Mission that separates middle-class kids from their less-parented and lower-achieving peers. In fact our great family experiment threatens to turn what the founders imagined as an opportunity-rich republic of equal citizens into a hereditary caste society.
The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
Author: Gary Chapman
Are you and your spouse speaking the same language? While love is a many splendored thing, it is sometimes a very confusing thing, too. And as people come in all varieties, shapes, and sizes, so do their choices of personal expressions of love. But more often than not, the giver and the receiver express love in two different ways. This can lead to misunderstanding, quarrels, and even divorce. Quality Time Words of Affirmation Gifts Acts of Service Physical Touch. Dr. Gary Chapman identifies five basic languages of love and then guides couples towards a better understanding of their unique languages of love. Learn to speak and understand your mate's love language, and in no time you will be able to effectively love and truly feel loved in return. Skillful communication is within your grasp!
Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life
Author: Henry Cloud and John Townsend
Author: John M. Gottman
According to most relationship books, the key to a solid marriage is communication, communication, communication. Phooey, says John Gottman, Ph.D., There's much more to a solid, "emotionally intelligent" marriage than sharing every feeling and thought, he points out--though most couples therapists ineffectively (and expensively) harp on these concepts. Gottman, has found through studying hundreds of couples in his "love lab" that it only takes five minutes for him to predict--with 91 percent accuracy--which couples will eventually divorce. He shares the four not-so-obvious signs of a troubled relationship that he looks for, using sometimes amusing passages from his sessions with married couples. Gottman debunks many myths about divorce (primary among them that affairs are at the root of most splits). He also reveals surprising facts about couples who stay together. Through a series of in-depth quizzes, checklists, and exercises, similar to the ones he uses in his workshops, Gottman provides the framework for coping with differences and strengthening your marriage. His profiles of troubled couples rescued from the brink of divorce and those of still-happy couples who reinvigorate their relationships are equally enlightening.