Child-Proofing your Marriage

As a parent of two toddlers, this book spoke to me of the reality of how parenting saps time and energy from a marriage. It goes on to offer hope that things don’t need to remain that way. That great parents can also be great spouses, is indeed a refreshing thought. Marriage and Family Psychologist and Counselor Dr.Debbie Cherry says, “often couples spend their child-rearing years nurturing their children at the expense of their marriage.

Couples tend to think, after the kids are gone, we’ll get to be a couple again.’’ In many cases, by the time the kids are off to college, so much distance has crept in that couples hardly know each other. But this scenario can easily be avoided! Divorces can be prevented and arguments avoided when couples discover the importance—and the principle—of being “couple-focused” rather than child- focused. The book offers readers proactive steps to nurture and protect their marriage.

As Dr. Gary D. Chapman writes in his foreword, “We must learn to “childproof” our marriages during those parenting years, or we will soon learn that the marriage withers and dies. The best gift we can offer to our kids is a great marriage, but when parenting bends the back of marriage, often kids suffer the most. Read or discuss this together with your spouse and apply it to your everyday life. Dr. Cherry has the personal and practical experience that will help your marriage. I would recommend this book to anyone with children at home or considering parenting in the near future.