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As seen on the weekly Love & Marriage segment of Fox8
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Part 1 Part 2Kathy Dawson is a member of the International Coach Federation
Long Distance Dining
Many, many couples maintain a long distance relationship and it’s tough. Although there are more ways to connect today with the advent of technology, it is still a challenge to keep an emotional tie when life doles out so many distractions. I know a young couple who has come up with a creative way to utilize a particular tie that binds.
Because one of them is in Cleveland and the other is in Boston, they obviously can’t dine together. They haven’t let the distance issue stop them, however. Every once in awhile this couple will pick a restaurant they know has locations in Boston and Cleveland and order in from that restaurant. It turns out to be a dinner by phone rather than by candlelight, but it works for them as they feel a special bond while eating from the same restaurant. This idea of long distance dining is but one of the tools they use to help them stay connected over several states.
In the Doghouse
Today in Cleveland’s Plain Dealer, Michael Heaton talks about how guys can avoid landing in the doghouse. He states two basic ways men can avoid getting into big, big trouble with their significant others. Way #1 is to initiate a call to their mate when they know they are going to be late or have to change plans. Immobilized in fear that they will get “yelled at,” guys often avoid being proactive. Wrong move! Heaton is right when he says that calling asap with a change in plans is the best choice a man can make.
Heaton says Way #2 for a guy to stay out of the doghouse is for him to admit when he’s made a mistake. Bingo! If a guy screws up and says, “I was wrong,” he automatically ratchets up his trustworthiness and integrity .
Acronym of Love
I know a couple that, for years, has used an acronym to remind themselves of their love for one another. This code word shows up on notes, at the end of letters, and even on a brass puzzle-shaped key chain each of them carries, the two pieces of which join to make one. The acronym they use is “BARILY,” which means “Babe Always Remember I Love You.”
Over time, this couple’s three children broke the code. So when this acronym occasionally pops up here and there, it’s a reminder to these kids that their parents keep connected in their own special way. It’s amazing how a six-letter word that can’t be found in any dictionary can have so much meaning.
Singing as a Team
It’s a tradition. On our kids’ birthdays, my husband and I call them with a birthday greeting just early enough in the morning so that they’re a bit dazed and confused. Today is our daughter’s 22nd birthday and we kept to tradition.
With a raspy morning voice, she answers, “Hello?” Our cue. We belt out our traditional rendition of “Happy Birthday,” knowing she is lying in bed with eyes still shut, but with her mouth open in the shape of a smile. ”Thanks, guys,” she says. ”I’m going back to sleep.” Before ending the call, we say in unison, “We love you!” The call ends and we high-five one another for a job well done.
“Why Are You going on a Date?”
I recently had a friend tell me her 8-year-old son took note of the fact that she and her husband were going on a date. This couple had not been on a formal date in years. In actuality, they had not been on a date since before their son was born. Recently, they have begun dating every week. This last week, as they were getting ready to go out for the evening, their son looked at them quizzically and said, “Why are you going on a date? Aren’t you married?”
At a young age, this child was already forming a sweeping perception based on his parents behavior: Married people don’t date. If this couple remains consistent in their dating, they will be able to quickly turn their son’s perception around so that he will forever remember that his married parents liked each other enough to want to spend time alone together. Now that’s an impression worth making!
