Here are some questions for discussion covering a wide variety of marital concerns. You can select several for dialogues between a husband and wife or for small groups. Consider this a starter kit of questions that could help to open discussion and communication.
General Questions
How can faith in Christ help a marriage?
In what ways can a good marriage help to unite his and her relatives?
Can a couple have a “friendly fight” that is productive?
In what ways could adjusting to your new spouse be compared to getting a new roommate?
What are some of the long-term effects of dating a person for a year or more prior to marriage?
Can you list some factors which made you want to be married?
What areas of marriage take the longest adjustment time?
What are some potential areas of conflict in the first few years of marriage?
How do “baby-boomer” marriages differ from the current generation?
In-Law Challenges
In what specific ways can good relations with one’s in-laws have a positive effect on a marriage?
Why do many couples find it hard to discuss in-law problems?
What kinds of in-law problems can occur in an ethnically-mixed marriage?
What problems can occur when one’s spouse is not born-again?
Why is it true that in-law problems tend to be more acute when a couple has married very young?
Do in-law problems tend to be less of a problem if a couple marries when they are in their 40’s? If
so, why?
Children
Why has the birth rate in America declined in the past few decades?
Why are more and more cases of SIDS reported each year?
How can pregnancy, very early in a marriage, affect a couple?
What are some important standards for adoptive parents?
When should an adopted child be told that she/he is adopted?
What are some positive aspects of planned parenthood?
At what age should a child receive their first information about reproduction?
What can be the result of a parent always defending the faults of their child to neighbors, relatives, teachers, etc?
Why can’t a parent fight a child’s battles?
What are some basic conflicts between mom and dad concerning child discipline?
Why is doing things together as a family so important in a child’s development?
Why must parents unite in the children’s training and discipline?
What can happen if one parent shows favoritism to one of the children?
Does the biological parent in a blended family tend to favor his/her children?
What can be the negative results of such favoritism?
What factors make a home pleasant for a child to live in?
What are some of the most common worries and fears of children?
Sex
In what specific ways is petting damaging to a marriage?
What are some of the damaging effects of having sex prior to marriage?
Can a couple who have had pre-marital sex ever fully trust each other? Why or why not?
Why is premarital sex a poor yardstick for sexual compatibility?
How can a premarital pregnancy adversely affect a marriage?
How important is sexual adjustment and compatibility in a marriage?
How can over-spending affect a couple’s sex life?
Money
Why is financial stress the number one cause of divorce in America?
How can differing views concerning spending affect a marriage?
Do you have a budget? Do you follow it?
Who should handle the money, the husband or wife? Why?
What are a few disadvantages of credit cards?
What primary questions must be answered before you borrow money?
Some More General Questions
Why is it hard to identify personality traits of the other person during the courtship?
How can one spouse’s poor self-image affect a marriage?
What effect could one’s spouse’s lack of education have upon a marriage?
How can a vast difference in age in a couple affect their marriage?
Why do married men generally live longer than single men?
Would a marriage have a better chance of success if the man was older, or the woman?
How might a couple be affected if one came from a broken home and the other did not?
What are some factors which contribute to stress in 21st century marriages?
Why is a sense of humor vital to a marriage?
What are some ways in which a couple can relieve tension and stress?
How is marriage different from all other legal contracts?
In what ways can a good marriage contribute to society?
Why do successful marries tend to continue from generation to generation?
Is it important that a couple have the same political views?
In what ways do you demonstrate good communication with your mate?
What specific things do you do to demonstrate affection to your spouse?
Now that you are married, do you still date? How often?