In this episode of Heart and Soulution, Mike and Kristen Jones diiscuss relationship dynamics and how to maintain love and friendship in a marriage, particularly after becoming parents. They begin with a casual conversation about their home life, mentioning challenges like yard work and a ladder fall, before pivoting to a listener's question about avoiding feeling like co-parents rather than spouses. The hosts emphasize the importance of intentionality, prioritizing the spouse, and making love a daily choice, and they explore strategies for building a stronger partnership, such as improving communication, sharing dreams, and preventing the "grenade" effect of major life changes like having a child. They conclude by discussing the need to treat each other as adult partners rather than children, and to woo one another according to their individual needs, reaffirming that the marriage relationship is the primary unit even with children.

(C) 2025 All Music by Mike and Kristen Jones for use by Heart and Soulution, including Heart and Soulution theme, Card of the day jingle and all background music; generated with Suno.ai.

Reference material and Resources to dive deeper:

• Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (2002), The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Harmony Books.

• ⁠⁠Table Topics Tabletop Sets: Questions to start great conversations.⁠⁠

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