Free Honeymoons Save Marriages

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Yahoo! put it in their odd news category today, but I think it’s clever. A state can end up spending a lot of money on food and social services when a marriage fails. So why not offer second honeymoons to struggling couples, if marriage counseling suggests it will help?
That’s what the state of Terengganu (that’s in Malaysia, between Singapore and Cambodia) is doing. The two-night honeymoons cost them less than $450 per couple and offer battling couples a chance for reconciliation. They started with a pilot for 25 couples and, based on the results, plan to launch a full-scale program by the end of the year.
And why wouldn’t it work? Playfulness frees our creativity to find third alternatives for our disputes, rebuilds our hopes for the future, and lets us see again the qualities that drew us together. It’s not easy to hang onto resentment on a romantic vacation.
But why wait until you’re ready to split? What would be your ideal honeymoon to keep a good marriage going strong?

About the author

Patty Newbold

I am a widow who got it right the second time. I have been sharing here since February 14, 2006 what I learned from that experience and from positive psychology, marriage research, and my training as a marriage educator.

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  • LOVE this idea & your post. “Honeymoon” time, vacation time, a weekend away. It’s all so crucial for a couple, especially when you’ve got kids. I don’t know where we’d be without our date night (weekly) or the occasional weekend away. For us it doesn’t matter where we go. We just like to have the opportunity to just be a “couple”, not parents, not employees, not even individuals.
    P.S. ages ago you commented on one of my posts about my man not cleaning the pasta pot. You offered many suggestions. FYI we did get a new dishwasher which fits the pasta pot and this is no longer a bone of contention! Thought of you the minute we discovered it fit!

By Patty Newbold

Patty Newbold

I am a widow who got it right the second time. I have been sharing here since February 14, 2006 what I learned from that experience and from positive psychology, marriage research, and my training as a marriage educator.

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