The Huntington Relationship Center

11/12/2025

WHEN PARENTS GOSSIP ABOUT ONE CHILD TO ANOTHER CHILD, THEY ARE TRIANGULATING THE FAMILY. THIS IS A FORM OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE.

This behavior may seem harmless, but it's a toxic tactic that can have long-lasting effects on your children's emotional well-being and your family dynamics. By sharing confidential information or speaking negatively about one child to another, you're creating a sense of unease, guilt, and anxiety.

You're forcing your children to take sides, to carry burdens they're not meant to carry, and to question their relationships with each other and with you. This can lead to sibling rivalry, low self-esteem, and difficulties with trust and intimacy in the future.

As a parent, your role is to nurture, protect, and support your children, not to use them as emotional messengers or confidants. Break the cycle of emotional abuse by being mindful of your words and actions. Foster a safe, loving, and respectful environment where your children can thrive.

11/12/2025

❤ Adding Surprises To Your Relationship ❤

are important to include in your because they boost excitement, show thoughtfulness & strengthen the bond between you.

They demonstrate that you’re actively thinking about your , appreciating them & willing to put in effort to show .

By injecting & breaking , surprises create positive memories & trigger happiness!

How surprises benefit a relationship:

- Boosts excitement & passion: Unexpected gestures revive & prevent a relationship from becoming monotonous.

- Shows thoughtfulness & appreciation: Surprises show that you're willing to go out of your way to make them smile, which helps prevent feelings of being taken for granted.

- Can shift moods: A thoughtful surprise can break someone out of a negative or emotion, replacing it with a positive one.

- Demonstrates commitment: Surprises show you're actively invested in the relationship’s well-being & are willing to be playful & .

Examples of surprises:

- Leave notes: Write a or hide notes in places they’ll find them, like their wallet, gym bag, pockets.

- Practical help: Take over a task that's usually their responsibility, like doing the laundry, cleaning the car, filling up their gas tank, or fixing something that needs attention.

- Prepare a meal: Make their favorite dinner, breakfast in bed, or have a cup of coffee or bath ready for them when they come home.

- Listen & follow up: Pay attention to the small things they mention, like wanting to read a specific book or watch a movie, and then follow through.

- Create a special experience: Recreate your 1st date, set up a date night at home, get tickets for a concert, play, or sporting event.

- Book a service: Schedule a car detail, a massage, pedicure, or another self-care appointment for them.

- Make a gift: Create a photo album, a scrapbook of your memories, or a playlist of songs that's special to both of you.

https://huntingtonrelationshiptherapy.com/adding-surprises-to-your-relationship/

11/10/2025

Our children won’t remember how perfectly we managed everything — they’ll remember how safe it felt when we didn’t fall apart.

They’ll remember the calm in our voice when theirs was breaking, the steady hands that held the moment together, the quiet confidence that said, we’ll figure this out.

Because what anchors them isn’t flawless parenting — it’s steadiness.

It’s the way we breathe through the chaos instead of becoming it. The way we choose presence over panic, softness over control.

In our calm, they learn what safety feels like. In our steadiness, they find their strength. And long after the storm passes, it’s that sense of safety — born from our calm — that will help them find their own. ❤️

Quote Credit: ❣️

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11/06/2025

How to avoid stale conversations when in a long term relationship?

To avoid stale in a , focus on creating new shared experiences together.

Introducing into your —such as trying new activities, visiting different restaurants, or exploring new —can provide fresh for and help break out of .

Simply your environment, like taking a walk in a new neighborhood or attending a local event, can spark meaningful conversations.

Prioritizing together is essential. This includes setting aside , technology-free time to and , such as a weekly night or a daily check-in, even if brief. Putting phones away during these times ensures undivided attention and strengthens .

For with busy schedules, scheduling regular connection time—even just 30 minutes a day—can help maintain .

Finally, recognize that a lack of conversation doesn’t always mean a lack of connection.

Comfortable silence can be , but if it feels awkward or distant, it may signal a need for intentional . Both must be to the work of maintaining the ; one-sided effort often leads to resentment.

Ultimately, keeping the relationship dynamic requires consistent effort, about your partner, and a to .

11/06/2025

09/29/2025

Passing off in , often referred to as "weaponized incompetence," involves one partner pretending to be of performing a task to avoid their share of household duties, which can create significant and in a .

This behavior is a tactic that equitable and can harm the relationship's foundation.

is a form of shared responsibilities by to be bad at tasks like folding laundry, loading the dishwasher, or tidying up, thereby forcing the other partner to take over to ensure the chores are completed correctly.

The practice can lead to an imbalance in the division of labor, where one partner feels , potentially eroding respect and admiration between .

To address this, are encouraged to have open to foster a where both partners take responsibility for needs and adjusting behaviors.

A healthy approach involves , creating a shared list of responsibilities, and ensuring both partners feel their are and according to their individual circumstances and capabilities.

09/25/2025

Are you texting your partner too much?

Over-texting in can significantly damage the connection between partners by fostering and emotional , as constantly messaging and anxiously awaiting replies can signal and over-attachment, reflecting an unhealthy attachment style rooted in insecurity.

This can lead to one becoming emotionally reliant on love-struck messages, creating an imbalance where the need for constant digital overrides personal freedom and space.

The absence of tone, facial expressions, and body language in makes it easy to misinterpret intentions, turning innocuous messages into sources of ; for instance, a simple "I don't know what you mean" can be read as sarcastic or dismissive, even if it was meant as a genuine question. This lack of context often leads to that escalate quickly, especially when partners are unable to clarify their meaning in real time.

The delay in responses can also breed , as one partner may feel or when the other takes hours to reply, leading to a cycle of calculated delays and emotional withdrawal.

Furthermore, the time available to craft a response in allows individuals to present their "best version" through carefully worded messages and strategic use of emojis, which can create an unrealistic portrayal of affection or interest that doesn't reflect genuine feelings. This curated can make the relationship feel artificial, as the dynamic is based on polished texts rather than authentic, spontaneous .

Over-reliance on texting also hinders the development of essential communication skills, particularly the ability to handle difficult face-to-face, which is crucial for and emotional repair in relationships.

Without the opportunity to hear tone, see expressions, and respond in the moment, misunderstandings go uncorrected, and grows.

Ultimately, while texting may increase the frequency of contact, it often diminishes the quality of communication, leading to and a weakening of the relationship's foundation.

09/23/2025

Are you tired of the nagging?

Nagging in a is a recurring pattern of repetitive or that often stems from unmet emotional needs, such as a desire for , , or feeling valued, rather than the specific task being requested.

This can create a cycle of and , leading to a power imbalance and eroding respect between .

Nagging often arises when one partner feels emotionally and uses repetitive requests as a form of "protest behavior" to re-establish , rooted in of loss or .

The core issue behind nagging is typically not the superficial task (like doing dishes) but an underlying need to feel , , and .

To stop nagging, individuals should avoid "you" statements that assign and instead express their using "I" statements.

Establishing clear, negotiated with agreed-upon consequences and timelines can reduce resistance and prevent nagging.

If nagging persists, seeking from a can provide strategies to address the underlying issues and .

09/15/2025

Phrases That Save Relationships:

❤️ “If it bothers you, it matters to me.”

❤️ “I still love you even when we’re upset.”

❤️ “I don’t want to assume, so I thought I’d ask.”

08/14/2025

Most people don’t randomly decide to avoid difficult conversations …..instead, they’ve learned to stay away from conflict as a way to avoid painful feelings they haven’t yet learned how to manage. Still, avoiding topics leaves the other partner left in the dark, confused, and/or unresolved…..feelings which don’t foster relationship closeness.
At the same time, there are times when it makes sense to postpone a topic. Sometimes the timing is off, one or both partners are too triggered to address the topic with emotional safety, or someone needs space to get more clear about what they think and feel.
It’s not always easy to know when it’s avoidance and when it’s healthy postponing (and sometimes it’s some of both), but here are some guidelines. ❤️

08/05/2025

During couples counseling, Robin Newman aims to disarm conflict, and in doing so, increase respect, intimacy, and affection.

She helps couples recognize and communicate their personal issues in a healthy, respectful way.

Instead of entering a power struggle, couples talk openly, reach resolutions, and also learn to cultivate empathy towards one another.

Contact The Huntington Relationship Center Today

148 East Main Street, Huntington, NY 11743

https://huntingtonrelationshiptherapy.com/services/couples-therapy/