Synopses & Reviews
The drive home was filled with silence and emotion. Emily and Dan had just taken their youngest child to college. Both of them were replaying years of images in their minds. "What's next?" They would glance at each other with a knowing smile, but inside they were afraid, excited but afraid. They knew this was an opportunity to rebuild their relationship, but how? Like Emily and Dan, empty-nest couples in record numbers are asking themselves: What can we talk about now that we've lost the emotional focus of our life? How can we revitalize our marriage? With the kids gone, what is my new identity? Where do we go from here?Fighting forYour Empty Nest-Marriage offers clear-cut instructions for dealing with one of the most difficult periods in any marriage—the transition period when the children leave home. Based on the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) and the results of a national survey of long-term married couples, this warm and helpful guide is brimming with practical suggestions and wisdom for learning to let go of the kids and preserving the sense of commitment, love, partnership, sensuality, and fun within a marriage.As practical as it is informative, Fighting forYour Empty Nest-Marriage starts off with a helpful quiz that can identify key patterns and pinpoint the problem areas within a marriage. Armed with the results, you can use this down-to-earth book to learn how to:? Put romance and sensuality back into your relationship? Slow down and get life in perspective? Look at the positives in your relationship? Have fun together as a couple? Balance your life as a couple between your kids and your aging parentsAt the And of each chapter, the book includes helpful exercises for avoiding marital burnout and rekindling a loving and long-lasting partnership. Fighting forYour Empty Nest-Marriage offers fundamental information and teaches vital skills needed to regroup, refocus, and refresh a marriage after the
Review
"Bravo! This book is brimming with practical suggestions and good advice for couples who want to make the second half of their marriage the best half." (David Blankenhorn, president, Institute for American Values, and author, Fatherless America)
"There is no better team of authors for a book on empty-nest marriage-and no better book. Give it to someone whose marriage you care about-including yourself." (Bill Doherty, professor, family social science, University of Minnesota)
"This book is the step-by-step, can't miss, user-friendly guide to having it all-to sharing the happiest time of any marriage with the love of your life. It should be required reading for all those about to embark on the empty-nest journey." (Diane Sollee, founder and director, Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education)
"A team of top-notch marriage savers offers first aid for marriages facing one of life's most disorienting transitions. Their advice is practical and up-beat. It is refreshing to read a book about marriage written by people who don't just believe in marriage but actually understand how it works." (Frank Pittman, M.D., author of Private Lies and Grow Up)
"Married people are healthier, happier, and better off financially than the single. This important book tell you how to keep your marriage itself healthier and happier after kids are gown, with exercises, checklists, and tips for managing conflict. A great `off to college' present for parents." (Linda Waite, professor of sociology, University of Chicago; coauthor of The Case for Marriage)
Synopsis
It's an all too familiar scenario ... once the kids pack their bags and leave home the married couple heads for the divorce court. Without the children to focus on, issues and conflicts that have long been avoided come to the surface. The "empty nest syndrome" is a life-turning event that requires extreme sensitivity, acceptance, communication, and commitment. This warm and helpful guide is brimming with practical advice for letting go of the kids and at the same time preserving the sense of commitment, fun, partnership, sensuality and love within the marriage.
Synopsis
Fighting forYour Empty Nest-Marriage offers clear-cut instructions for dealing with one of the most difficult periods in any marriage. . .the transition period when the children leave home. Based on the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) and the results of a national survey of long-term married couples, this warm and helpful guide is brimming with practical suggestions and wisdom for learning to let-go of the kids and preserving the sense of commitment, love, partnership, sensuality and fun within a marriage.
About the Author
DAVID H. ARP —marriage educators, authors, trainers, and seminar leaders—are the cofounders and codirectors of Marriage Alive International, Inc. They are authors of numerous books including the 1997 Gold Medallion Award book, The Second Half of Marriage (1996). SCOTT M. STANLEY Scott M. Stanley, Howard J. Markman, and Susan L. Blumberg developed the world famous Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP). They are the coauthors of Fighting for Your Marriage, A Lasting Promise, Fighting for Your Jewish Marriage from Jossey-Bass.
Table of Contents
Preface.
The Hidden Meaning of Conflict Stories.
Working with Stories to Resolve Conflict.
Stories Unheard and Untold.
Stories that Sacrifice Life.
Stories that Hold Organizations Hostage.
Stories that Justify Boundary Violations.
Conclusion: Living Happily Ever After.