Strong Partners, Strong Parents
Dear You,
I imagine you’re reading this in the in-between moments of your day… maybe with a cold cup of coffee nearby, maybe while someone tugs at your sleeve, maybe in the rare, quiet minutes after bedtime. However you found your way here, I’m glad you did.
Because I want to talk about something that so often gets tucked into the corners of our lives: our relationships. Not just the ones we have with our children, but the ones that came first—the relationships that built the family we’re so busy holding together.
It’s easy, isn’t it? To let our partnerships become second (or third, or fourth) to the never-ending needs of our little ones. To think, I’ll nurture my marriage when the kids are older. We’ll reconnect when things settle down. But the truth is, there’s never a “settled” moment waiting for us. There is only now. And in now, the strength of our relationship as partners directly shapes the world we’re building for our children.
But I want to be very clear, this isn’t about pressure or perfection. This isn’t about adding another task to your already full plate. This is about small moments, gentle awareness, and the simple truth that when we feel connected, supported, and seen in our partnerships, we have more to give to the rest of our lives.
A Gentle Tool: The Emotional Check-In
There’s a simple practice in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) called an Emotional Check-In, and I want to offer it to you as a place to start. It’s not about fixing, solving, or planning. It’s just about noticing.
Sometime this week, find ten minutes when you and your partner can sit down, maybe with a cup of tea or during those quiet moments before sleep. Then, take turns answering these three questions:
What’s been on your mind lately? (Not just logistics or schedules but what’s really been sitting with you?)
How have you been feeling about us lately? (Even if the answer is, I’ve been too busy to notice, and that makes me sad.)
What’s one small thing I can do this week to help you feel more supported?
That’s it. No debate, no need to have the “right” answers, just a chance to hear and be heard. Even if nothing else changes, even if the week ahead is just as hectic as the last, there’s something profoundly grounding in simply being witnessed.
And if the check-in feels awkward at first? That’s okay. New things often do. Keep it light, keep it real, and know that even the smallest effort to nurture your connection ripples out into the home you’re creating together.
Because when partners feel strong, safe, and supported, the entire family breathes a little easier. And that, my friend, is a gift worth giving.
With you in this,
Threshold Therapy
