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Alumni Profile

The marriage quiz

True or false: Couples with successful marriages…

  1. Report that marriage is simple to understand and simple to make work
  2. Have private issues that they do not share with each other
  3. Help their spouse overcome weaknesses by pointing out the things that need improvement
  4. Give their spouse privacy and time alone
  5. Focus on cooking healthy meals together as a sensual and fun activity
  6. Would make a major purchase only after joint agreement with their spouse
  7. Report that sexual intimacy is at the heart of their marriage and it forms the foundation for their successful relationship
  8. Are careful to keep their lives together routine and predictable so their relationship remains stable and sane
  9. Have experienced very few stressful situations in their 30 or more years of marriage
  10. Find that children only add to the enjoyment of their marriage
Answers: 1. False  2. False  3.False    4. True  5. True  6. True  7. False  8. False  9.False  10. False

Years ago, one workshop participant referred to Charles “Charley” and Elizabeth “Liz” Schmitz as “the marriage doctors.” The phrase stuck. Just as doctors are dedicated to improving patients’ health, Charley, BS Ed ’69, M Ed ’70, PhD ’77, and Liz, BS Ed ’70, M Ed ’75, EdD ’80, are dedicated to helping people improve their marriages.

Their book, Golden Anniversaries: The Seven Secrets of Successful Marriage (Briarcliff Publishing, 2008), is designed to help married couples find and keep long-lasting love. Their suggestions are based on interviews and research with more than 500 happily married couples.

“People are interested in the positive message and the potential for hope in their relationships,” Liz says. “It comes down to the fact that understanding what makes love and relationships last is really simple.”

To help couples determine whether they have what it takes to “make it” in marriage, Charley and Liz developed a marriage quiz. See how you and your spouse measure up by taking the shortened version below. The full version and the book are available at GoldenAnniversaries.com. — Sarah Garber

More Fall 2008 Alumni Profiles »