Karen Covy contributes her “Divorced Girl Smiling” top 10 list on taking the high road. Covy runs through ways to (a) make things better or (b) not make things worse, and her list includes (excerpt): 1. Treat your spouse with…
Best Lawyers in America recognizes David C. Sarnacki as 2019 Lawyer of the Year
Best Lawyers in America recognized David C. Sarnacki as one of the 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” award recipients for his work in Collaborative Law: Family Law in Grand Rapids. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and community…
2019 Best Lawyers in America – Professional Review and Rating of David C. Sarnacki
Best Lawyers in America selected David C. Sarnacki for its The Best Lawyers in America (25th edition). Mr. Sarnacki was recognized again for his work in: (1) Collaborative Law: Family Law; (2) Family Law; and (3) Family Law Mediation. The…
Out with the old: the parenting pendulum swings to teaching consequences by agreeing to contracts
CNN highlights Katherine Lewis’s “The Good News About Bad Behavior.” Lewis shows why punishment doesn’t work and outlines various approaches to helping kids learn self-control. Elissa Strauss writes (excerpt): “Punishment is something imposed on a less powerful person by a…
Parenting teens: embracing, understanding, changing
The Guardian gathers a few experts to show parents how to help our teenagers. Included in the tips list are these two: 4 Keep lines of communication open “There’s no doubt that the way you communicate will change,” [Ammanda] Major…
Support for survivors and supporters
The American Heart Association featured the poem “Things Thrivers Tell Survivors” on its support blog.
To complain or not to complain: feeding a more productive and valuable cycle
Harvard Business Review help us know what to do when we feel like complaining at work. The principles provide a road map for our other relationships as well. Peter Bregman shares 5 steps to taking effective action and writes (excerpt):…
Scammers fishing for cheaters
CNBC and others, like KrebsOnSecurity, are highlighting scammers spamming affluent neighborhoods with letters declaring “I know you cheated on your wife.” Jennifer Schlesinger and Andrea Day write (excerpt): “The amount of money is such that it’s not so much that…
Getting gross with your partner: Better relationships through dishwashing
The Atlantic reports on the Council of Contemporary Families’ study describing the correlation between who does that dishes and how strong a couples’ relationship is and how long it will last. The Counsil reports that women in heterosexual relationships value…
Being aisaika: 5 rules for every adoring husband
CNN shares relationship advice from Japan’s Kiyo Yamana, the founder of the Japan Aisaika Organization which celebrates the “adoring husband.” Of the mission set by Kiyo Yamana and his “beloved wife” Kimi, Breeanna Hare writes (excerpt): We also came up…
Happiness: loving life, professionally
The ABA features Dean Nancy Levit and thoughts on loving life, professionally, by finding work you want to do and finding joy in the work you are doing, and by seeking neither perfection nor keeping up with the Joneses. Stephanie…
Intelligence, energy, integrity?: The one trait that matters
Inc quotes Warren Buffett on another secret to his success–find people with integrity to work with. Buffet said: “You’re looking for three things, generally, in a person: intelligence, energy, and integrity. And if they don’t have the last one, don’t…
New Year’s resolutions for better relationships
From three sources, a potpourri of tips for you and your partner on improving your marriage or relationship. Psychology Today features Jeremy S. Nicholson’s 6 tips, three each for singles and for couples: Resolutions for Singles 1) Be More Social…
Springing into action: helping make unhappy holidays better
USA Today offers us tips for helping our family and friend dealing with the Holiday Blues. Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant [the the authors of “Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy”] write (excerpt): First: . . .…
Being disgusted with-or kind to-your partner: the top risk factors for divorce
CNN features a Thrive Global item on the predictors of divorce. The item references five correlations between individual factors and the end of a marriage: age, demographics (education and religion), neuroticism (emotional instability), infidelity (affairs), and contempt (hostility). Drake Baer…
You asked for something, I offered something: How to reach out and help
On Being features Omid Safi’s advice for helping someone you love, someone who is struggling. Omid Safi writes (excerpt): But don’t ask them to give you their hand. Instead, offer them your hand. Don’t ask for their heart, offer them…
Rule One: Understanding your kid is a copycat!
CNN references a Rule 1 for one aspect of parenting: modeling good behavior. Ask yourself: Is there some aspect where this Rule 1 would not apply? Kelly Wallace writes (excerpt): Rule No. 1 seems simple enough but is too often…
Embarking on this great adventure
CNN recently posted the Presidential hand-off letter–from Obama to Trump–on Inauguration Day 2017. Might the four points apply to all of us? 1. Use your blessings to help others. 2. Be a leader, by action and example. 3. Be a…
Restoring trust after a crisis: how to prevent making things worse
CNN Money highlights four keys to recovering from a crisis and restoring reputation. While written in the context of what companies should do in a public relations crisis, the tips provide a focus for relationship problems we encounter. Rupert Younger…
How to handle difficult people? Simple strategies starting with listening and understanding
The ABA’s Law Practice Today offers advice on dealing with difficult people. Matt Potempa explains his top six tips (excerpt): 1. Listen. . . . Try to understand the source of their frustration while avoiding the temptation to interrupt and…