Single Parents
Dating can be a challenge at the best of times but can become a bit trickier when children are involved. This by no means indicates that single parents are not worthy of your time or effort. It merely reflects that…
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Author Archive: Melinda Barr
Relationship Patterns
We see it everyday in relationships. People seem to choose the same “wrong” type of partner time and time again. To understand the entire concept of these situations, we first need to understand exactly what a pattern is and how…
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Abusive Relationships
The most difficult part of a relationship is knowing when it is time to let go and move on. This is particularly difficult when only one partner wants to end things. The resulting pain and grief for the still-loving partner…
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Ideal Relationships
We are taught from a very young age that somewhere out there is the perfect mate for each of us. But, in this vast land, how do find your Prince Charming? Will he gallop up on his fine steed one…
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Relationships Cheaters – No
Can A Relationship With a Cheater Work Out? Why would you want it to? The most important things two people can bring to a relationship are trust and honesty. After an affair enters the picture how can there be trust?…
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Mans Bathroom
Men today seem to have an array of grooming products that rival that of any woman. He will need all the usual soaps and shampoos as well as tweezers, nose hair trimmers and Q-tips. Face creams, astringents and various articles…
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Family Vacations
Taking a family vacation is supposed to be exciting, fun and productive. It can also be fraught with temper tantrums, pouting and stress. There are no guarantees of a successful vacation but there are some things you can determine beforehand…
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Lonliness Fear Relationships Life Experiences Struggles Fulfillment
Loneliness The Struggle with Feeling Isolated I don’t believe there is a single person on the planet that hasn’t experienced loneliness in one way or another. The trick to understanding loneliness is first in being able to define it only…
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Dealing with Anger in a Relationship
Anger can be a frightening emotion. It is also a red flag indicating that there are some deep underlying issues screaming to be dealt with. For the purpose of this article, I am going to focus on anger in a…
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Teen Communication Skills
Anyone who has ever parented knows the challenges of staying connected, or in touch, with your teen. The adolescent years are an important developmental stage for your child as he navitgates the journey toward adulthood. In these modern, somewhat chaotic…
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Toxic Relationships
July 18, 2015 Marriage and Divorce
Living with a toxic partner is akin to living a fractured, hopeless existence. The toxic partner can destroy your self-esteem, your self-worth and threaten your sanity. The toxic partner uses force, intimidation, and fear as a means of controlling the…
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Money Problems
July 18, 2015 Marriage and Divorce
Money can destroy a relationship. Please Money, come spoil mine, or at least give it your best shot! Lack of money can destroy a relationship. The stress of unpaid bills and creditors hounding you can destroy a relationship with lightening…
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How Active Listening Enhances Communication Skills
We can all benefit from increasing our interpersonal communication skills. Whether dealing with a partner, a boss, a co-worker or your teenager, improving this skill can also improve your relationships. Effective communication is much more than just the words you…
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Blindsided by a Breakup
Any breakup is painful and can take months to get over. To be blindsided by the breakup is to face a double-edged sword. Initially the breakup will leave you with feelings of abandonment, humiliation and shame. To think that you…
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Alcoholism
Breaking up is hard to do. It is usually a very painful process that pulverizes your emotional health and well being for a long time to come. Breaking up with someone who has a substance addiction is sometimes even more…
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Relationship Respect and Trust
May 21, 2015 Friends and Peers
Every aspect of a relationship is affected in some part by both trust and respect. This holds true for all the relationships we participate in; intimate, family, neighbors, business associates, and so on. It is how we personally define and…
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How to have a Good Marriage
May 19, 2015 Marriage and Divorce
What do you consider the qualifications for a perfect marriage? Is it love, trust, consideration, and effective communication? It is all of these things and more. We all know that absolute perfection is impossible. What we also to recognize is…
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Relationship Break Ups
It is never easy to cope when a significant relationship ends. It turns your whole world upside down and initiates all sorts of painful, hurtful feelings. Even in the midst of your sadness and stress, you have an opportunity to…
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Ideal Time to Buy Shoes
Shoes are truly an enigma. No matter how many pairs we possess, there always seems to be a few new purchases on the horizon. Apparently, shoes do not self -multiply by themselves, yet our shoe racks seemingly overflow. What then,…
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Intimate Communication
We all love to hear those three sweet little words “I love you.” They are especially sweet when spoken from the lips of a young child. Whispered softly in the ear of a loved one, they are very powerful indeed….
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How to Continue your Life Journey after you have Made Mistakes
Here they are in a nutshell; the three facts of life. You are born; you live; and then you die. The Beginning: Being born has absolutely nothing to do with you personally. You didn’t ask for it or demand it;…
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Love Signs
If you are ten years old and a little girl hits you, it is a sure sign that she likes you. If you are twenty years old and she hits you, it is a sign of partner abuse. Welcome to…
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Crocs a Style here to Stay
Nothing comes between me and my Crocs. Love them or hate them, I have a feeling Crocs are here to stay. While they were originally intended as a boating/outdoor shoe due to their slip resistance, they took off in many…
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Helping Teens Cope with Divorce
February 2, 2015 Marriage and Divorce
Teenagers feel just as much stress and confusion regarding divorce as adults do. They usually suffer from feeling of sadness, frustration, and anger. Given the right support, your teen will be able to express their feelings, grieve their loss, and…
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Coping with the Death of a Spouse
February 1, 2015 Crisis Support
Like many other young couples, we had shared many difficulties throughout our time together, but overall we were happy and very much in love. Me the realist, and my devil -may -care Billy were an unlikely couple from the start….
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Intimacy in a Relationship
January 31, 2015 Marriage and Divorce
Although a relationship can survive without intimacy, it will not be a true and fulfilling relationship. Intimacy is far more than just sex and it the glue that holds everything else together. Without intimacy your relationship can become more like…
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Knowing about Girls
Throughout my teen and young adult years I had hours of free entertainment watching my brothers attempt the dating/mating game. In our generation, there was no school curriculum covering sex education, so we all received the stock “birds & bees”…
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Staying away from Negative People
January 11, 2015 Communication
We often encounter many roadblocks on our journey to success and happiness. One such roadblock might be how to get past a negative person. We have all met them, and many of us have them in our closest circle of…
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Hangover Cures
January 3, 2015 Friends and Peers
Anyone who has ever experienced a severe hangover knows that awful feeling. The fuzzballs on your tongue coupled with the jackhammer pounding in your brain. Add in the tremors and nausea, shake and stir and voila! You have a hangover….
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Children and Divorce
December 25, 2014 Marriage and Divorce
Getting divorced is never an easy process, and should never be taken lightly. Ending a relationship may very well be one of the most difficult experiences you ever go through. It is often fraught with emotional upheavals of the highest…
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