Boundaries in Marriage

by Henry Cloud

Dale is the energetic optimist who loves being involved in all sorts of church and civic groups. He coaches all his kids’ sports teams and genuinely enjoys his job so much that he works long hours. Margaret, by contrast, is an MBA who feels she is always following Dale around and cleaning up his messes. When he overcommits himself, she helps him decide which meeting to drop and which to attend. When he overspends, she figures out how to get them out of trouble. But even though she sees this as part of their marriage, she is troubled by how little of a priority she feels to her husband. Dale is a really caring person, and he loves life,” she told me. “In fact, he sees life as one great adventure. But he never gets back to us as a couple.”