All Posts By

Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott

Aug 13
Love0
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Help! I Need My Spouse To Parent Our Kids, Not Act Like Them

By Parenting No Comments

Does your spouse act like one of the kids? Parenting kids is a full-time job, both for you and your spouse. But if your spouse acts more like one of the kids than your parenting partner, that makes your job more challenging. Rather than presenting a united front and guiding your children together, you find yourself parenting your spouse, too. The problem is, teaching appropriate behavior to your kids means they need to see it modeled. If one of their parents doesn’t always follow basic etiquette, they’re less likely to, also. This makes social situations like family gatherings or church…

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Aug 06
Love0
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We’re So Busy With The Kids! How Do We Find Time For Us?

By Time No Comments

When you’re busy with kids, it’s often tough to find time to focus on your marriage. The couples we’ve worked with over the years have told us that making time together is one of their biggest struggles. If you’re wondering how to reclaim some precious time with your spouse, read on. Carving out time together can be challenging when you have children, no matter their ages. Babies and small children require so much of your time. But when they’re older—say, in their pre-teen and teen years—they rely on you in other ways, such as driving them to (and attending) extracurricular…

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Jul 30
Love0
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I Only Want to Spend Time With My Spouse. Is That Okay?

By Relationships One Comment

Is it wrong to want to spend all your time with your spouse? Maybe your spouse has lots of friends and enjoys spending time at social gatherings. In contrast, you’d rather stay home, just the two of you, and spend time together. Is that too much to ask? You’re content without a large social circle, and you wish your spouse felt the same way. How can you navigate this major personality difference? What Recharges Your Inner Battery? When it comes to our social needs, a lot of people are hardwired to be surrounded by people. They need to spend time…

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Jul 23
Love0
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Help! My Spouse Uses All Their Vacation Time On My In-Laws

By In-laws & Family No Comments

So you want to enjoy some vacation time together, but your spouse has a habit of using all their off days with his or her family. You love your in-laws, but you don’t want to spend all your days off with them. More than that, you want a little downtime with your spouse as a couple. Is it possible to create a better balance? Strong Family Relationships Are Great, But Balance is Essential It’s great that your spouse has a close relationship with their family. The fact that they can spend quality time with their parents or siblings truly pays…

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Jul 16
Love0
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Does Less Intimacy Mean Our Marriage is Unhealthy?

By Intimacy 3 Comments

Does having sex less often mean your marriage is in trouble? A married couple’s sex life is often a pretty good barometer for how things are going in their relationship as a whole. Intimacy, passion, and commitment are all important and crucial ingredients for a fulfilling married life and lifelong love. Still, there are times throughout your life when sex will happen less often than you’d like for it to, and that doesn’t necessarily mean your relationship is any less healthy. There are a few factors that can impact how often you and your spouse are intimate. Together, you can…

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Jul 09
Love0
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How to Enjoy One Another More This Summer

By Intimacy, Recreation No Comments

Summer is in full swing, and this time of year is perfect for nurturing your relationship with your spouse. Whether you’re going on a bucket list vacation or spending time closer to home, you can absolutely boost your enjoyment of one another. This summer could pay dividends in the months and years ahead. Ready to enjoy one another more through the summer months and beyond? This post is for you. Let’s get right into it. Make a List of Things You Like About Your Partner One of the most practical exercises we’ve seen for improving your level of enjoyment together…

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Jul 02
Love0
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Honesty Roundup: How to Navigate Truth and Lies in Marriage

By Communication, Marriage No Comments

Are you ready to build a happier, healthier marriage? Honesty is an important foundational ingredient in the healthiest marriages. It allows us to communicate in an open, vulnerable, and authentic way. Sometimes, it’s also tricky to navigate. Today on the blog, we’ve gathered some of our top posts about truth and lies in marriage. If you’re looking to build a more honest relationship with your spouse, this is a great place to start. What to Do When A Spouse Lies Catching your spouse in a lie is devastating. Dishonesty erodes the foundation of trust you’ve built in your marriage. No…

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Jun 25
Love0
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Communication Techniques Feel Awkward. What Do I Do Now?

By Communication No Comments

Do communication techniques feel awkward to you? You genuinely want more meaningful communication with your spouse. The problem is, whenever you try to apply a method you’ve learned, it feels awkward and unnatural. If you can’t use those techniques, what else are you supposed to do? Using communication tactics such as reflecting your spouse’s feelings might feel robotic and unnatural. You might feel like you’re going through the motions of an exercise. But getting agitated by a technique can actually distract you from your goal: better, healthier communication. If you struggle with using communication tools, what should you do? Is…

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Jun 18
Love0
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My Spouse Betrayed Me. Is It Fair to Make Them Pay?

By Conflict, Marriage No Comments

Is revenge justified when your spouse betrays you? Whatever happened, this betrayal was devastating to your emotional wellbeing. It affected important aspects of your life and made moving forward incredibly difficult. If your spouse hurt you that deeply, is it fair to make them pay for what they did? Shouldn’t they have to suffer, too? Betrayal is one of life’s most painful experiences. That’s especially true when it happens within a marriage. Some betrayals are easier to overcome than others. Still, they’re all painful enough to make even the kindest, most patient person want revenge. Revenge Won’t Repair Your Heart…

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Jun 11
Love1
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How to Make Daily Devotionals With Your Spouse A Habit

By Scripture One Comment

Daily devotionals are a beautiful way to connect with your spouse on a spiritual level. But in our experience working with couples, they’re surprisingly hard to do as a married couple. For some couples, praying and studying together feel easy during the dating years. Once you cross the proverbial threshold of marriage, everyday obligations take over. Suddenly, daily devotionals don’t feel quite as endearing as they used to. They have a different energy. With so many daily demands, it can be difficult to set the time aside like you once did. Avoid Attaching Guilt to Devotional Time Don’t add a…

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