Journal Questions
Share your thoughts & feelings.
In life,
you deal with things,
or things deal with you.
I didn’t know that made you feel that way.
Build communication skills, plan your future, and discover new things about each other.
All human relationships, whether in business, friendship, or romance, are built on trust, which is established through honest, respectful, and open communication. The first two years of marriage are an adjustment period for every married couple. Unlike living with a roommate, marriage involves a range of financial and legal responsibilities and social and personal expectations. Even couples who have cohabited for years before getting married may be surprised by new challenges in their relationship during this initial stage of married life.
I have prepared some proactive questions to help you minimize misunderstandings and avoid hurt feelings during the first two years of marriage. Consider giving yourselves a wedding gift by sitting down with a notebook and pen and jotting down your thoughts and feelings in response to the following questions. After you have written your responses to these questions, discuss them privately with each other. Sharing your journal responses with a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist can significantly improve your marriage and life.
While premarital counseling is not obligatory, consider including it in your marriage process.
Your wedding package includes a complimentary thirty-minute counseling session with Dr. James Walton as a wedding gift to both of you.
El Doctor Walton habla español con fluidez y puede realizar sus citas en inglés o español
MONEY MATTERS
What are my short and long-term financial goals for us as a couple?
What is our current financial health, i.e., savings and debts?
Do we have retirement plans, pensions, 401 K, or IRAs?
How will we make decisions regarding our household expenses?
Will we create and abide by a budget?
How will we handle payments of our monthly bills and periodic expenses?
How do we handle a significant income disparity between us, if one exists?
What if one of our careers requires us to relocate to another part of the country/world?
Do we each have a primary care physician and health insurance?
Do we each have Advanced Medical Care Directives?
Do we have a Trust/Will?
Consider making an appointment with a fiduciary financial advisor and an attorney to arrange your financial and legal affairs for your life as a couple.
IN-LAWS & FRIENDS
When you marry a person, you marry into their family and adopt their friends. Often, this is a joyous occurrence. However, some new in-laws or adopted “friends” can be irritants or outright hostile.
Do our families support our marriage?
Do we both feel accepted and valued by each other’s family and friends?
How will we handle conflicts with family and friends?
How will important holidays be spent together, e.g., Thanksgiving?
CHILDREN
Proactively consider and discuss the subject of children.
Do we want to have/adopt children, and if so, how many do we want?
What values/beliefs do you wish to impart to your children?
How will you, as individuals and as a couple, discipline children?
BLENDED FAMILIES
Your fiance/fiancee may enter your relationship with children. In contemporary society, there are many blended families. The “blending” process is just that and usually entails many emotional and relational issues.
If your partner already has children, how do you connect with them?
Where will the children reside?
Is a parenting plan in effect if you bring children into your marriage?
What challenges do you anticipate in blending your families?
What values/beliefs do you wish to impart to your children?
How will you, as individuals and as a couple, discipline children?
