Search

Unrealistic Expectations

Wife ponders whether she married the wrong man as he sleeps in background

Did I Marry the Wrong Person?

Marriage is not primarily about finding the right spouse. It’s about being the right person.

A couple holds hands on an autumn afternoon.

Viewing Your Husband in a New Light

After the wedding, it’s common to view your spouse in a new, perhaps disappointing light. Here’s what you can do about it.

Disillusioned couple look expressionless in different directions

When Expectations Meet Reality

There are many things that newlyweds experience and one of them is disillusionment.

Picturing a Special Future for Your Spouse

Our mate needs to hear positive words that picture a special future in the same way that our children do.

A young bride and groom sit in a field, holding a cut-out of a house, signifying their marriage hopes and dreams. But what if your marriage is not meeting your expectations?

Why Isn’t Marriage the Way I Thought It Would Be?

The fairytale wedding is over and the realities of married life are sinking in. Are you missing the “happily ever after?”

A woman sits across the room in front of her husband, sad with her head on her hand. Recognizing when unmet expectations are the source of anger in your marriage can help you can create an environment for reconciliation.

How to Deal with Unmet Expectations in Marriage

Recognizing when unmet expectations are the source of anger in your marriage can help you can create an environment that allows for apology and restoration of the relationship.

A young bride and groom stand in a beautiful, mountainous landscape at the edge of a lake. Watch out for these unrealistic expectations in marriage.

How to Overcome Unrealistic Expectations in Marriage

Learn how to identify the two most unrealistic expectations in marriage and open the door to a healthy relationship with your spouse.

3 Ways to Create Healthy Expectations

3 Ways to Create Healthy Expectations

Expectations, we all have them! Most of us have high expectations or preferred futures we desire our kids to experience. We know what the result should be, but not necessarily the steps to get there! And sometimes, let’s be honest, when trauma and the world we live in collide, things aren’t as they appear. When …

Photo of a young man emotionally hurt from an argument with his wife. The wife looks on from the background. Sometimes it's hard to tell if its a bad conflict or emotional abuse.

Is It Bad Conflict or Emotional Abuse in Your Marriage?

Emotional abuse in marriage is one of the hardest forms of abuse to recognize, but unrepentant patterns are the key to identifying it.

Communicating your expectations in marriage is important. A young couple sits at a table talking about their expectations in their marriage.

How to Communicate Your Expectations in Marriage

I’ve yet to meet a married couple who didn’t struggle with unspoken expectations. By learning to talk about expectations in your marriage, you can begin to establish a more satisfying relationship.

Prom - The Best Night of Your Life?

Will Prom Be the Best Night of Your Life?

Let’s talk dresses, friends and truths about prom

Expectations About Giving: Cheerful couple enjoying Christmas holiday

Expectations About Giving: The Nightgown

When my husband and I let go of our expectations about gift-giving, we discovered new ways to feel loved and celebrated

Family Hiking in the mountains with no expectations

Expecting the Unexpected: Living With Expectancy Rather Than Expectations

Creating expectations of how life should go can open our hearts up to disappointment. However, if we live with anticipation and expectancy of what is to come, and what God is doing in our lives, we can experience greater joy in the journey.

Worried man looking thoughtful out of window

Distorted Thinking Can Be Dangerous

If you are angry, afraid, resentful, jealous or depressed, the fault may lie in your thinking.

Young couple having argument in the kitchen. She's shunning him as he tries to explain himself.

Why Teammates Shouldn’t ‘Help’ Each Other

The house and children aren’t solely my responsibility. And the chaos isn’t entirely mine, either. My husband, Greg, is an equal partner with equal responsibility. He’s not simply “helping” me.

We All Marry the Wrong Person

It’s easy to keep our character flaws covered up when we aren’t living in the most intimate covenant relationship on earth — marriage. But married life has a way of exposing us.

Shown from behind, a seated couple looking out their home window

The Lies Your Heart Believes Affect Your Marriage

Painful wounds can cause us to forget who God made us to be, and we start believing lies that affect what we think about ourselves and how we relate. That’s especially true in how we relate to our spouse.

Unrealistic Expectations and Time With Family

When pressure to have the perfect holiday builds relationship tension, we need to change our unrealistic expectations. Then we can better appreciate the time spent connecting with family members.

10 Things I Wish We Had Known Before Adopting

After 12 years and three adoptions, I’ve often thought about how helpful it would have been to know then what we know now. Here are 10 things we’ve learned about adoption.

Three young kids hanging out on their parents’ bed with their mom and dad

The Smart Blended Marriage

Most remarried couples can beat the odds of divorce and build a successful blended family if they know how to overcome the unique barriers to marital intimacy in a blended family.