One of the sayings here in the U.S.A is “when the mouse is away, the mice will play.” But when the spouse is away, the other spouse finds nothing playful about the situation. They more likely feel resentful, lonely, and tired of having the extra responsibility to run the household on their own.

And when the away spouse returns, the stay-at-home spouse many times has expectations for them to immediately pitch in and help, and/or give them a break from being with the children for a while, and/or talk and talk and talk, etc. It can put a real strain on a marital relationship because the other spouse has their own expectations. And having to fulfill a “to do” list isn’t usually one of them!

There ARE some marriages that can do well under these circumstances, but they seem to be those who purpose to work this situation out with a team spirit and intentionality and a lot of times has some kind of game plan functioning for them which makes the best of this situation. But from what we’ve seen, these marriages are rare.

The important thing is that if you want to have a good marriage and not just one that barely functions under these circumstances, you need to make the effort to do that which will “make sure absence really does make your heart grow fonder.”

That’s one of the articles we recommend, is all about. It’s written by Ellie Kay and is posted on the web site for the helpful publication, Marriage Partnership Magazine.

The second article is written by Krista Van Gorp-Carnet, and immediately follows on the heels of Ellie’s article.

To read what Ellie and Krista have to say on this subject, please click on the link provided for you below:

STAYING CONNECTED WHEN YOUR SPOUSE IS AWAY

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