She Said "I Quit" — And I Told Her I'd Been Waiting for That
She'd been talking about her dream for years. He never pushed. Never pressured. He just kept the door open — until the day she walked through it.
She Thought She Was the Problem
My wife had to travel. So I ran an experiment. Remove everything she normally does for them and see what the kids are actually capable of. What happened over the next two years changed how I understood everything — including her.
The Three Loves Your Child Needs — And How Too Many Families Lose One
The school called at 2 PM. Fourth call that month. A fire drill, a kid who took off to get his coat, and a father who didn't lecture him once. What happened next is the best explanation I've ever seen of what the 4 LAWS actually looks like in real life — and why too many families lose one of the three loves their child needs. Not because they don't care. Because nobody ever showed them it was there.
She Opened His Eyes. The 4 LAWS Changed the Verdict.
The psychologist told the judge he had no conscience. Then a letter arrived — from the one person nobody expected to hear from.
She Believed in the 4 LAWS. Then She Spoke Them to a Man in Prison.
She came from a family that loved hard and fought harder. Then she learned a different way to see — and when she looked at a man behind bars, she saw something no psychologist could find.
I Loved My Husband So Much I Almost Ruined Him
She handled everything — the bills, the plans, the problems. She thought she was being a good wife. She didn't realize she was making sure he never had to grow.
The Superpower That Ruined the Game:
"My superpower is that I can make everyone friendly when they come near me." The kid stared at me. "You can't use that power." "Why not?" "It would ruin the game." He was right. And after 35 years as a clinical psychologist, I can tell you exactly how that power works.
The Love That Was Killing Him — And She Had No Idea
She ran the marriage, the house, the decisions — all out of love. He went quiet. Everyone thought he'd given up. Nobody saw that her strength was the thing keeping him shut down.
The Secret to a Marriage That Stays Alive — You Both Have a Pearl
Jesus said don't cast your pearls before swine. That means you have one — and so does your partner. When both Pearls are alive, the marriage is electric. When they're buried, everything goes flat. A psychologist explains.
When You Love Someone but Won't Let Them Be Who They Are
She stopped painting. He stopped mentioning the business idea. They went quiet, compliant, and empty. The most dangerous thing in a marriage isn't conflict. It's compliance.
When Your Kids Watch Your Marriage Fall Apart
The marriage was in ruins. The kids were watching. He made one decision that changed everything: my pain will not become their trauma
The Text That Should Have Ended Everything
"His wife's text said nine words: 'I've been with someone else. I'm sorry. It's over.' His plan had always been to walk away. But his Pearl said something different — protect her, don't destroy her. Two years later, they were more in love than ever."
When Your Partner Comes Alive Again
She was exhausted, disconnected, disappearing. He could feel it but couldn't name it. Then she found the thing she'd given up 25 years ago — and the woman he fell in love with came back. The best thing you can do for your relationship might have nothing to do with your relationship
When God Speaks in a Traffic Jam
It was 2005. I was stuck in traffic on a highway in New England, at one of the lowest points of my life.
I had just spent years developing a new treatment for oppositional defiant children — and it worked. Leaders in the field had tested it and recommended it. But there was a piece missing that I couldn't solve: I could treat the defiance, but I couldn't restore the parent-child trust. Not without months and months of sessions. The bond that had been broken between parent and child — I couldn't find a fast way to rebuild it.
Then came a life crisis that took everything from me. I lost it all. I was just getting back on my feet, barely standing, driving through traffic, and I wasn't praying so much as I was broken open.
Then something happened that I still struggle to put into words — not because it's vague, but because it's so vivid that language feels small next to it.
When Your Marriage Feels Like a Business Partnership — And You Miss Being in Love
They sat on opposite ends of my couch — not angry, not fighting, just... distant. Like two business partners reviewing quarterly results.
"We don't fight," she said, as if that should be good news. "We're a great team. The kids are fed, the bills are paid, the schedule works."
He nodded. "We're efficient."
"So what's the problem?" I asked.
She looked at the floor. He looked at the wall. Neither looked at each other.
"I miss him," she said quietly. "He's right there, and I miss him."