Healthy Relationships Initiative
It feels good to know that you are heard and cared for. Try doing something small that you know your partner will appreciate to show them your love. Bring them a coffee from their favorite cafe, let them pick the movie this time, ask them about their day, or just thank them for being who they are.
For the Guilford County Partnership for Children, education is the name of the game! This organization partners with local businesses and national programs to help preschool age children develop the math and literacy skills to prepare them for school and life. The first 2000 days of life are a hotbed of cognitive development, 700 new neural connections developing between birth and five years. The Partnership for Children believes in making the most of those early years by engaging children in fun reading and learning activities that will get them excited and ready for kindergarten.
Heavily rooted in community, the Partnership knows that no child stands alone, so they’ve consulted dozens of local families with children under the age of eight about what is needed to get kids ready for kindergarten. Children who get a head start reading have an easier time transitioning to school, and are more likely to maintain an enthusiasm for learning that will carry them through life. Whether it’s providing parents with the benchmarks of child development or offering opportunities to find new books, there are plenty of ways the Partnership for Children can help get families ready for this big transition.
One program happening right now is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. This exciting campaign provides free books for children birth to five years, and now local parents can sign their children up to get a book in the mail every month! The staff at the Partnership are promoting the program and advocating for reading in early childhood. Community outreach director, LouMecia Staton, even organized a fun video with the rest of the Partnership staff advertising the Imagination Library:
Education starts at birth, and the Partnership for Children is passionate about giving children the best start possible. By working with the community and with other programs, they make early childhood development a family affair, with tons of fun and flexibility. To learn more about the Guilford County Partnership for Children, you can visit their website, http://www.guilfordchildren.org/ or contact them at (336) 274-5437.
Relationships are a process of learning about yourself and your partner as you move through life together. Asking each other open ended questions is a great way to stay connected to this process. By doing this, you can create an open line of communication about how you feel about one another and the relationship. Asking meaningful questions allows you to understand what you need from each other to have a happy and successful relationship. Being open and honest enables you to learn and grow together as your relationship progresses.
Here are some possible questions you could ask:
Leaving your partner a love note is a great way to remind them that they are loved and appreciated. These sweet messages will help you feel affection and gratitude for your partner and can boost their self-confidence.
According to Dr. John Gottman, we seek attention and affection from our partners through “bids for connection,” and these bids can be either verbal or nonverbal (Lisitsa, 2014). Verbal bids can look like asking question about something important to you, making a joke, or asking for help (Brittle, 2015). Nonverbal bids, on the other hand, can be a smile, a playful eye roll, or an exasperated sigh inviting you to ask what’s wrong. (Brittle, 2015). Through his research, Gottman discovered that couples who stayed together, turned towards each other’s bids for connection more than they turned away (Brittle, 2015).
What exactly does this mean for you and your relationship? Pay attention to your partner and be proactive and intentional in the way you interact with them. If they reach for your hand, hold it. If they ask for your opinion on something, respond with kindness and excitement. By responding to their attempts to connect with love, compassion, and sincerity, you are sending the message that you notice and care.
Resources
Lisitsa, E. (2014 January 29). Dr. Gottman’s Guide to Recognizing Bids. Retrieved from https://www.gottman.com/blog/self-care-friendship-and-dr-gottmans-guide-to-recognizing-bids/
Brittle, Z. (2015 April 1). Turn Towards Instead of Away. Retrieved from https://www.gottman.com/blog/turn-toward-instead-of-away/
Trying something new can bring excitement and adventure into your relationship. Maybe there’s a nearby concert, a new restaurant, or a hiking trail you’ve been wanting to check out. Use this experience to learn more about your partner and deepen the intimacy between one another. And of course, have fun!
In long-term romantic relationships, it’s often the smallest things that can have the biggest impact on the quality of those relationships. Although grand gestures and expensive gifts may be exciting and appreciated, it’s the daily, smaller ways that partners can show they care each other that go a long way toward keeping love and romance alive.
When someone goes out of their way to do something special for their partner, it helps the partner feel important, noticed, and loved. This is a great way to show that you’re paying attention to your partner’s needs and prioritizing your relationship.
Here are just a few ideas of small ways that you could show your partner a little extra love this week:
In relationships, you don’t need to do something extravagant to show your partner that you care. Sometimes, it’s the small things that mean the most.
Planning a day trip or weekend adventure creates a space for you and your partner to get away from the demands of daily life and focus on your relationship. You can use this time to try something new and exciting as a couple, or you can take some time to relax and recharge together.
Flirting is fun! It brings laughter and playfulness into your relationship and helps you feel connected to your partner. It can be easy to fall into a routine and loose sight of this exciting and lighthearted aspect of being in a loving relationship. Make an effort to be more flirtatious. Send your partner cute texts, give them a compliment, or just be silly together!
Reliving the initial moments of falling in love is a fun and exciting way to reconnect with one another. One simple way to remember some of the excitement of the early days of your relationship is to recreate your first date. Go back to the spots where you went on the first date (or somewhere similar if you’ve moved away or those spots don’t exist anymore!).
While you’re there, talk about your memories of what you were thinking and feeling on that first date! Share what your early hopes were for the relationship–or you may even enjoy some laughs if one of you wasn’t totally convinced you were right for each other from the start. Here’s a great question to discuss while recreating your first date: If you could go back and tell yourself one thing you know now that you wish you knew then, what would it be?
Recreating a first date can be a fun and exciting way to remember how far you’ve come since the early days of your relationship–as well as help you remember some of the hopes and dreams that you’ve had for the future of your relationship!