is a blog dedicated to
the tired individual who wants to save their marriage despite all the
opposition that exists when kids come into the picture and life happens. I really like how realistic this blog is for
our readers who are looking to connect with their spouse. Tanja, the main writer of the blog, refers to
it as a " married-with-young-kids-boot-camp thing". She offers practical advice about almost
every aspect of surviving marriage with young kids. She aligns all of her advice on her life philosophy
based on 11 commandments. The
commandments that most speak to our purposes here are:
- Keep the lines of communication open between you and your spouse.
- Make sure that you and your spouse are on the same path in life, or at least headed in the same general direction.
- No matter how far you and your spouse have come, realize that there’s always another challenge around the corner. Which leads me to…
- There is no Happily Ever After, not in real life. And especially not in a Marriage with Young Children.
- When all else fails, laugh. A lot.
- And never, ever give up.
The reason why
marriage is always reported as les satisfactory during the child rearing years
is because we are tired. We are
exhausted with life and not just because we are raising a family but because we
are busier than we have ever been. Tanja
is very down to earth and entertaining as she uses personal experience to help
other reboot their marriage.
WHAT IS THE BLOG BASED ON; RESEARCH, EXPERIENCE
OR BOTH?
Tanja had a hard time finding research and help
that specifically related to helping a marriage prosper while raising
children. She would find plenty of self
help books about strengthening marriage or parenting but nothing that really
focused on her problem of hanging in there.
She was tired of just dealing with it and not feeling satisfied with her
marriage although she wanted it to work.
She does not reference academic papers or journals but does reference
literature that focuses on many of the aspects of marriage, child rearing,
stress, and life. She uses a good mix of
resources to back up her life experience and give expert advice that you won't
get from your friends. Most of the advice she offers is positive and works.
DOES THIS BLOG OFFER APPLICABLE ADVICE?
All of the posts in this blog are very
applicable. It is easy to relate to
Tanja's writing and to identify the needs we want to address in our own
marriages. She is practical and talks
about real life and real situations.
Marriage does not happen in a test tube and especially when we mix kids
and stress to the equation. Everything
she discusses on the blog is directly related to her journey to reboot her
marriage with a husband with chronic illness and a son with severe allergies. She is as real as they come and gives easy to
follow tips that will helps us get through the day. Strengthening marriage after all does not
come from reading a book or blog or just praying that things will get better it
takes guts and action and a great desire while we are exhausted and stressed.
IS THE BLOG A GOOD READ?
Tanja Pajevic holds an MFA in creative writing
from Indiana University and enjoys writing fiction, creative nonfiction and
poetry. It did not take me very long to
like her style of writing. She is very
down to earth and descriptive. It is
easy to identify with her feelings, although sometimes exaggerated. She remains very positive about
marriage even while 'venting' about problems and situations. I appreciate her ability to empower her
readers to make changes and take a dose of reality. She is not an academic writer but a very
skilled writer.
I hope that you can use some of the wisdom shared on this
blog to relax, relieve stress, laugh about life and learn small things that
will help you connect in the chaos that ensued when your marriage took on children
and everything that comes with them.
References:
Pajevic, T.
(2013). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://rebootthismarriage.com/
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Jeremy - I enjoyed how you recommended this blog. You presented Tanja as if you have known her and her work for some time now. I respect your recommendation and plan to follow up with her future post. Also, her 11 commandments are very helpful and gave me new things to consider that can help "reboot" a marriage. Great post!
I agree with Oliver - a very realistic view.
Cheryl
I just found your site and wanted to say thanks for your kind review of my blog! I love what you're doing here and am so glad to see you guys helping out on the front lines. All my best to you with this blog, your families, your work, your schooling--all of it!
Warmly,
Tanja