Marriage is a beautiful and meaningful institution. It binds husband and wife together in love and family-level responsibilities. Even though it is a legal agreement, having a marriage that works for you will be about communication, sharing responsibilities, and being invested in one another.
If you are looking to change things up in your relationship, Marriage Boot Camp can help! Couples come to therapy with different levels of stress in their relationships, from money to emotional support. Whatever level of commitment you are looking for, Marriage Boot Camp can help!
Couples go through some tough times when they get married. They both look to the other as if they are the only one who knows what they are saying and doing. They also feel like they are letting their families out to take on the world. This can be very hard on both parties!
This level of therapy addresses these common problems and helps couples deal with them effectively.
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Was this a good episode?
Was this an okay episode? For the most part, yes. There were some good things that happened in this episode and some that didn’t.
Continuing the theme of wives being controlled by their husbands, this week’s episode was all about his birthday. He spent a lot of time with his family and friends, but he also spent a lot of time with her.
He treated her like a possession and only thought about himself. She was just one part of his life and he forgot what it was like to live without him.
This week, he made Valorie do housework for him for the first time in years. She didn’t do it well at first, proving how much she still misses doing it herself.
What did we learn?
We learned that men don’t really love their wives as much as women think they do, and we learned that if you want a better marriage, you have to work at it. We also learned that even though your spouse isn’t doing what you want them to, it doesn’t mean they don’t love you.
Many spouses fool themselves into thinking their other half loves them more than they actually do. This can lead to problems in the future when one of them decides to leave the marriage or doesn’t stick around when the rough patches come along.
We also learned that if one of you is having problems with alcohol or drugs, it is important to get help right away.
Was there any conflict?
The new marriage counselor, Dr. Royce, is introduced in this episode. He specializes in conflict resolution and helping people find their pathway to self-acceptance and self-compassion.
Dr. Royce is a sympathetic figure who does not judge but tries to help with his techniques. He is very knowledgable about the area of marriage counseling and has lots of experience dealing with difficult people.
This makes it more palatable for people to talk to him about their problems, because he does not make them feel like they are being judged or that they are a “bad person” if they don’t get it right the first time.
He also helps promote accountability, which can be important when you’re trying to get things right the first time.
What should you take away from this episode?
Your husband may be a bad boyfriend, and you should get a divorce. There were so many things that happened in this episode that we should take away from it.
First, let’s talk about the term marriage boot camp. This is a popular style of marriage counseling, usually at a higher level than family court. It’s designed to help couple navigate their relationship on an emotional level as well as physical level.
Marriage boot camp is typically done once, with both people being educated on their past experiences with sex, relationships, and God. Then they work together as a couple to build a relationship built on trust rather than one dominated by sex (or lack thereof).
It’s an important step in building strong marital trust and communication.
Was this the best season premiere ever?
Not by a long shot! After all, this season has had so many great episodes, this one definitely took the crown as the worst.
However, this premiere did have some great moments that will make you laugh, cry, and think. Especially if you are a husband or father!
Laughing was in reference to David and his ridiculous attempts at domesticity. He was very entertained by his role as disciplinarian and protector of Megan.
He even dressed in a suit and tie which is what he is supposed to do in his role as father. He even carried a handbag which he is supposed to be wearing in her job as a homemaker.
What will happen next week?
This week, David and Angie will go back to the beginning and learn how to tick off a checklist. This is a way of passing time while they wait for tomorrow to take care of all the tasks they have to get done.
They will also work on their self-care areas. This includes taking time to relax, focusing on your positive thoughts, and doing stuff that makes you feel good.
Finally, they will learn how to budget their spending. This includes learning how much money is too much money and how to recognize when it is enough!
By the end of the course, they’ll have created a budget that works for them and their spending. They’ll also learn ways to save money by participating in Boot Camp classes.
Did the couples make progress?
Not really, because at the end of the episode, we got a wedding!
We learned in previous seasons that weddings can be high pressure events, and couples that aren’t used to it can overdo it.
So, in preparation for this season, couples were trained on how to handle wedding anxiety and over- excitement. This included receiving a wedding rehearsal marriage boot camp lesson from coach Pamela Hays.
This lesson included things like sharing stories about past weddings that weren’t successful or happy ones, finding comfort with other people who have gone through a wedding (without being too friendly or intimate) and finally hashing out what needs to happen at the wedding and when.
These things were tough for some to hear, but it was important for them to take this advice.
Did the guests share useful advice?
All five guests shared some useful advice in their appearances on Marriage Boot Camp. Dr. Jennifer Bleich and Dr. Michael empaneled as a team were very active in the show, which was icing on the marriage boot camp cake.
Both experts offered quick tips that they could easily put into effect on a daily basis to improve your marriage. Drs. Bleich and Empanis made numerous appearances over the course of the season, so it was easy to pick up tips from them.
Dr. Bleich suggested spouses work on communication first, which can be difficult when one spouse does not understand what is happening in your marriage. You may need to ask questions and listen to each other more, but first you must talk about it!
Dr. Empanis also suggested first building your foundation with communication, then trying something new together, which is great advice! You may have both spouses working out and taking walks together, but meeting together to discuss issues and build relationships is what separates the experts.