Married couples living apart - Commuter marriage on the rise as people take jobs far away
In 2006 the Census Bureau showed that 3.6 million married Americans (excluding separated couples) were living apart from their spouses. "Families today are undergoing all sorts of strains that didn't exist before and are simply having to adjust to make things work," said David Popenoe, of the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University. Reginald C. Richardson, of the Family Institute at Northwestern University, agrees: "We are going to see more and more commuter marriages in the future, given the global economy and the fact that our technology now makes this more doable."
(nytimes.com)
10 tips for long distance relationships
(1) Understand your relationship: Don't make assumptions about the exclusivity of your relationship. Get to know each other well and when the time is right, talk about where things are going. Try to be fully aware of your partner's needs. --- (4) Do things together despite the distance. Read a book or watch a movie at the same time and talk about it later. --- (6) Remember the advantages of being apart: more time with friends, no arguments over bathroom time, the ability to maintain your individuality and the pleasure of seeing your loved one again after a long absence. --- (9) Be realistic: Jealousy, over-control and drama are poison to a relationship.
(blastmagazine.com)
7 ways to survive a long distance relationship
(1) Lay down ground-rules from the start to maintain a successful long-distance relationship, you and your partner must openly communicate about and mutually agree upon the rules and terms of relationship. (3) Avoid excessive communicating: Speaking to your partner every day may feel like the best way to stay close, but dating coach DeAnna Lorraine disagrees: "I recommend having only one scheduled hour phone call a week... You'll have more exciting updates to share and you'll be much more excited and enthusiastic to talk to each other because you`ve been anticipating that phone date all week."
(thefrisky.com)
Tips on long-distance romance and love
(1) Stay optimistic. According to Dr. Gregory Gudner's research long-distance relationships do work. Being separated "seems to have very little impact one way or the other on the relationship." Don't undermine it by assuming it won't succeed. (5) Argue. "...in long-distance relationships there is less fighting. For short-time periods that's good, but for longer periods it creates a big problem." Often people will suppress their complaints in order to not ruin a rare weekend together. Instead, anxiety builds until the person is about to board an airplane or drive away, and then there's a blowup.
(wsj.com)
Long-distance love: Common pitfalls and solutions
When your partner is away, it is easy to jump to conclusions when he doesn`t answer his phone. Is he having fun with some other girl at a bar? Even after you discover the truth (he was taking a nap), the anxiety you created during those uncommunicative hours have already taken their toll. To avoid this, agree on a time when you and your partner will call each other. --- One long-distance couple had only one major problem: She hated to fly and declined to do it. After a while, her refusal to come visit him started to represent a fear of commitment and a refusal to leave her comfort zone. The relationship ended - all relationships are about give-and-take.
(msnbc)
5 Secrets of Successful Long-Distance Relationships
Be clear about expectations up front. Don't wing it; plan ahead. According to Dr. Greg Guldner, the difference between long distance relationship couples that make it and ones that don't can be summed up in two words: ground rules. Dr. Guldner explains that nearly 70% of couples who didn't anticipate changes -- or talk through their game plan for dealing with them -- broke up within six months.
(ivillage)
Surviving A Long-Distance Relationship
So, you or your girlfriend is relocating to another city for school or a new job, and you two are debating about whether you should break up, or try having a long-distance relationship. Forgive my bluntness, but don't even think about going through with a long-distance relationship unless you are both extremely devoted to one another, and willing to make sacrifices for the relationship. If this doesn't sound like you, then you should cut your losses now, and avoid a potentially heart-wrenching situation in the future.
(askmen)