Long Live Love!
Tuesday, February 15 2005I hope this finds you well. Love and Marriage are in the air this week as Charles and Camilla announce their engagement. They're not the only ones as more of us are getting married. Marriage is popular again.
In 2003, 4.7% more couples tied the knot than in 2002. This comes after years of decline, with numbers falling since the early 1970s. 2001 saw the lowest figures since 1897. We're getting married later as well - men on average now get hitched at 31.2 years old and women at 28.9.
So far, so romantic. But our divorce statistics should also warn us not to take love for granted. Falling in love is the easy bit, keeping love alive requires more thought and effort. With this in mind, I've asked the wonderful Relationships Coach Francine Kaye to step up and speak to us all. Francine has found herself in demand as a Couple's Coach, where a couple come to her to map out their shared vision, goals and values for their life together. They also enhance their communication skills, so when difficulties arise, they're polished and practised at finding a resolution quickly.
I think it's a superb idea and something most of the major religions do, to an extent. In fact, the Church of England has just launched a relationship "MOT" handbook, to help marrieds-to-be prepare for their wedding day. "Growing Together" identifies key areas couples need to tackle to make sure their marriage lasts including children, money, commitment, sex, conflict, faith and families. For your own bespoke, non-denominational guide, go see Francine! Or join her for her brilliant Designer Relationships afternoon workshop on Feb 26th.
Over to Francine:
