Monday, February 16, 2015

The M.Guy Tweet, Week of February 8, 2015

1. Be There for a Friend’s Relationship Crisis, But Don’t Give Advice, Wall Street Journal
The most important skill for marital first responders is listening, Dr. Doherty says. . . Refrain from jumping to a conclusion, and remember: You are hearing just one side of the story.

2. How to Fight with Your Spouse Without Ruining Your Marriage, in 9 Steps, Washington Post
It’s never too late to apologize. By which I mean, when it’s obviously far too late for saying sorry to do any good at all, you still should.

3. To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This, The New York Times
But despite all this, I’ve begun to think love is a more pliable thing than we make it out to be. Arthur Aron’s study taught me that it’s possible — simple, even — to generate trust and intimacy, the feelings love needs to thrive.

4. Taking Risks in Love, The New York Times
The second thing love requires is mindfulness — pure focus, and total engagement in the current activity. “While washing the dishes,” the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh teaches, “one should only be washing the dishes.”

5. Falling Marriage Rates Reveal Economic Fault Lines, The New York Times
In their analysis of census and Bureau of Labor Statistics data, they concluded that if married households today equaled the numbers seen in 1980, “the growth in median income of families with children would be 44 percent higher.”

6. Does Marriage Make You Happier?, Newsweek
Children born outside of marriage are roughly five times more likely to be poor compared to their peers in married-parent homes and are at risk for other negative outcomes.

7. How to Revive the American Dream In Blue-Collar America, Real Clear Markets
This same study finds that 37 percent of the decline in men's employment since the 1970s can be linked to declining marriage rates.

For more, see here

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

The M.Guy Tweet, Week of January 25, 2015

1. Family Breakdown and Poverty, Education Next
Some 40 percent of children raised by single mothers are living in poverty, according to the Census Bureau, while roughly 8 percent of children raised by married parents are poor.

2. Forget ‘Gray Divorce’: Here’s How to Make Love Last, The Wall Street Journal
The romantic spark is important, but over the long term there has to be something more, and that is friendship. A core aspect of that is the ability to embrace your partner’s interests, even if you aren't initially particularly interested.

3. How Marriage Makes People Healthier, The Economist
The researchers conclude that over time, marriage seems to be adding its very own dose of good health to a relationship, something they dub the “protective effect”.

4. What Is the Divorce Rate, Anyway?, Sliding vs Deciding: The Blog of Scott Stanley
[Y]oung married adults are not divorcing at the same rate as their parents did at similar ages, so it is likely that the divorce rate will decline in the future, once the baby boomers (who were and continue to be highly divorce prone) leave the population.

5. How Many Families Would Be Left Out by Obama’s Tax Plan?, Family Studies
The problem with Obama’s plan is that it overlooks not only families who currently have a stay-at-home parent and would like to keep it that way but also the substantial share of dual-earner families who would like to have a parent at home but feel they cannot afford to do so.

6. Is It Finally Time to Put Marriage in the Dustbin?, National Fatherhood Initiative
What hasn't changed since we started collecting data on marriage rates is the ream of data on the impact on children when they grow up without their married parents that shows these children, regardless of socio-economic status, don't fare as well, on average, as children who grow up with their married parents

7. The Brangelina Effect: Are Cohabiting Parents Turning to Marriage?, The Telegraph
Gianna Lisiecki-Cunane, a Family lawyer with JMW Solicitors, said: “Just like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, there are many couples who are influenced by their children’s wishes and decide to marry not as a rejection of cohabitation but to provide security for their families.

For more, see here