Published in Matrimonio by Cindy Peterson on November 29, 2013

Translated and adapted by Anders Peterson from the original article "Y vivieron felices para siempre: cómo hacer esta frase una realidad en la actualidad"� by Cindy Peterson

As time goes by, every couple has a common challenge: How to maintain the joy of dating after marriage. Some couples feel that this is a great challenge due to the lack of time, the demands of work, the attention that should be shared between spouses and their children, house chores and responsibilities to attend to in the community. Nevertheless, it is possible to live "happily ever after" in a harmonious environment if both spouses make an effort to collaborate and set aside time to find true happiness for their families. The following are five ideas to reach everlasting joy:

1. Continue dating after marriage

Each couple is an expert in making time to date during courtship. This can also be maintained after marriage by establishing a set day (it can be flexible, also) to do something together as a couple in order to strengthen the affectionate bonds. This also helps the couple to talk, have fun and renew their energies to later spend time with their children. Such activities may include: going to a concert, watching a film at the movie theater, going to a park, taking a stroll, going out for dinner or visiting mutual friends. Here are some more tips on how to strengthen a marriage. Here are some more tips for strengthening your marriage.

2. Participate in homemade activities

: There are many activities in which both spouses can strengthen their friendship in the home, such as house cleaning, washing the cars, watering the plants in the garden, picking up leaves, walking together or cleaning objects as they talk. These activities provide opportunities to demonstrate appreciation to one another.

3. Make decisions together

: Everlasting happiness is closely related to making important decisions together. When spouses do this, they are more likely to make the right choices because they are able to consider both perspectives.

4. Leave notes in key places

Everybody feels happiness when they are appreciated. Both spouses can leave thank-you notes, for any reason, under the pillow, on the fridge, in a pocket, or any place where the other spouse can find it when it is least expected. Writing a note does not take much time, and it is so valuable for the spouse that reads it.

5. Set aside a special day to do something traditional together

: This "special day" takes place when the couple does something worth doing as a tradition.

Regardless the tradition that a couple desires to establish together, it will be worth it because making time for it is rewarded by an everlasting friendship in the marriage. My husband and I have explained this to our children regarding dating, for example. By explaining to them that this was a special date for us, they developed a positive attitude and supported us. It is commendable to establish these good habits in order to live "happily ever after."

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Translated and adapted by Anders Peterson from the original article "6 hábitos para fortalecer tu familia"? by Cindy Peterson

Good family habits can be established daily by doing activities that involve family members. The following six ideas can help you succeed as a family and allow you to have everlasting and enjoyable moments:

1. Family meals

It is ideal to set aside time to have family meals. For example, parents can set aside time to have lunch or dinner with their children. This helps everyone to develop good manners at the table. When you are gathered as a family, turn off the TV and take this time to talk together about the activities of the day because they can strengthen the family ties.

2. Traditional movies

Usually each family has traditional movies that can include classical films, musicals, etc. It would be a good activity to watch a movie together and participate in something fun at the same time, such as having pizza or making comments about the movie after watching it.

3. Do community service together

Families can work together to be involved in community projects, such as cleaning an area in the neighborhood; picking up leaves, picking up trash, collecting toys to donate them to a specific institution, etc. This helps family members feel appreciated and allows them to get to know each other better.

4. Establish family traditions

Special occasions such as Christmas, birthdays or even memorial days would be a great time for the family to establish simple yet meaningful traditions. For example, in our family, we bake and decorate cookies for our neighbors and friends, and we deliver them as a family.

5. Make an annual family video

Almost everyone has the capability of taking several family pictures. It would be a good idea to collect every family picture taken during the year in order to create a family video using a Windows program such as Windows Movie Maker. Families can establish the tradition of watching the annual video during New Year's Eve in order to review all of important family events during the year. At the same time, this helps each family to create digital documents that can be shared with the following generations.

6. Make New Year's resolutions and follow up with them

It would be ideal for families to take an opportunity every year to make new resolutions and evaluate how they are going throughout the year. For example, if the family has decided to make a trip sometime during the year, they can start by creating a list of the items they will need for the trip in advance. At the end of each year, verifying all resolutions can help family members know what they have accomplished and what goals they should set for the following year.

Families that develop good habits are more likely to help each other to reach their goals, and they are usually successful and enjoy their time together.

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Translated and adapted by Anders Peterson from the original article "Métodos eficaces de disciplinar a los hijos"� by Cindy Peterson

Disciplining our children is a very important topic that shouldn't be taken lightly. In fact, you may ask yourself what is the best way to discipline your children in order to avoid becoming their enemy. The following are some practices you may consider valuable when teaching your kids:

1. Use constructive criticism

When your children make inappropriate choices or demonstrate challenging behavior, try to find ways to criticize them in a constructive manner. Ask reflective questions, such as, "Do you think this is appropriate attire for a party?"� "Why did you get upset with your brother?"� "How can you communicate how you feel when somebody upsets you?"� or "What do you think you will get by reacting that way?"� Asking these types of questions instead of humiliating them is good because it enables us to avoid having an unproductive monologue on our part. On the other hand, it prepares our children to receive constructive criticism from other people without being offended and listening to that person attentively.

2. Praise publicly, discipline privately

As parents, we should take advantage of any opportunity when our children deserve a compliment from us. Make sure they know you appreciate their good choices. Moreover, when they make a poor choice, avoid talking about it in public, because it is less effective. Look for a quiet place to talk about your child's choice. If this happens at home, you could use the backyard, an indoor patio, or even one of the rooms. If this happens in public, use the car or try to go to a less crowded area. Instead of using expressions such as "Don't do this,"� or "I told you so,"� try to communicate your disappointment. You could say "I feel very sad when you..."�, "It breaks my heart when you say..."� and make sure you explain why you feel this way. This will enable your children to think and reflect about their behavior. Hopefully they will express why they said something or acted in a particular way.

3. Manifest your authority with gentleness

When we are angry, we should avoid being aggressive to our children. If we have lost our patience and temper, we need to take a few minutes to think how we are going to act. If we respond with impatience and aggressiveness, we will later regret our reaction. By this time, it may be a little too late because some harm may have been caused. Help your children know that they must respect your authority as a parent. In order to be successful, show it without being overpowering. Be firm yet loving. Being balanced in our decisions will help our children to feel respected and willing to make good choices because it is the right thing to do, and not just because they would receive a compliment or a reward.

4. Keep your promises

This is essential to help our children appreciate our consistency. If we have promised to take some privileges away when they disobey, then we must do it. Once they claim their privilege, we can take the opportunity to emphasize the fact that we do keep our promises. On the other hand, if we have made promises and they are obedient, then we must also do it and fulfill our part. We must avoid promising something we will not be able to do. Remember that keeping your promises will be a payoff when you need to use positive discipline with your children.

Finally, do not forget that although there are several ways to discipline your children correctly, you can use effective methods in your home to help your children learn daily from their experiences in a positive way.

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