From: taskmaster Subject: EXERCISE: And They Lived Happily Ever After Comments: To: tiskserfs Aha! To begin, imagine a happy couple, embarking on life's little journey of marriage...(names, sexes, and such are left to your discretion and imagination). Events, exchanges of matrimonial contracts, and other slippery issues leading up to this blessed time are also at your command! Pick one of the following "developmental tasks." Tell us the tale of how your couple grapple with this phase in their mutual growth. 1. Emotional separation from the families of origin 2. Building togetherness through intimacy 3. Enlarging the circle to provide for children 4. Confronting adversity (illness, disaster) and overcoming it 5. Making the marriage safe for conflict 6. Establishing a sexual life that meets both partners' needs and wishes 7. Preserving humor in the relationship 8. Providing nurturance and encouragement 9. Keeping alive idealized images of early courtship (stages courtesy of Wallerstein, quoted in the Boston Globe) Just imagine... You and me against the world, That's how it had to be, Just you and me against the world. *ding dong the wedding bell, the wedding bell, the wedding bell, ding dong the wedding now is done! it's time to forget the fun, watch them run, and run and run, ding dong the living has begun* tink