Beginning tomorrow, I will be contributing a bi-weekly column (every other week) to The Tranquil Parent that will focus on relationship issues. This encompasses a very broad range of topics, but the primary focus will be on family dynamics - your relationship to your spouse or partner, to your children, and also to your own parents and in-laws. Some of the topics will spill over into a discussion of your relationships with coworkers and friends, as well, because many times the issues are similar and related.

The format will be simple: I'll start off with a few topical columns based on my experiences and training as a therapist (more on that in a minute), and will invite related questions and comments from readers in the comments. I'll also accept questions on any family relationship issues through this submission form, which can be as anonymous as you want it to be, and answer them in a Q&A format in future posts. What I hope we'll end up with is a conversational format that includes informative posts based on challenges you're facing, with reader involvement in helping each other deal with these issues.

I have been invited to write these columns due to my credentials as a Marriage and Family Therapist. I entered the field when my now-grown children were in middle school and younger. The degree I hold is a Masters of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy. I look at life from a Family Systems perspective and this will be reflected in my writings. I have had a private practice in this field and also did online counseling for several years. I am currently semi-retired, teaching some workshops, writing, hanging out with my grandkids, traveling, and generally enjoying life.

I also was invited due to the training I have received for teaching Bringing Baby Home workshops. I am a Certified Gottman Educator and have conducted many of these workshops. This training has brought me back into the world of parents and babies, at the same time that my progeny were producing grandchildren. The material will be referenced in some of my columns, as it contains much useful information and many great tools for becoming better parents and spouses.

And I assume I was chosen because my spouse and I, married 40 years, have successfully survived the care and feeding of three children, all having reached adulthood without too many battle scars. It wasn’t easy, and we were far from perfect, but we learned a lot along the way and I hope that I can pass on some of that knowledge in ways that will be helpful. We have now entered the exciting world of grandparenting, and I have some strong ideas about what works and doesn’t work between parents and their own parents around the issues that rear their heads at this juncture in the family life cycle.

One of those adults that I managed to launch is Jeremiah, who publishes the ZRecs Network along with his wife Jennifer and daughter Zella. So we must assume that is another reason that I was invited to write this column: That Jeremiah and Jennifer believe that I have something worthwhile to pass on to you. I am honored beyond words to be given this opportunity to discuss your family challenges with you!