documents won't fix a troubled relationship.

[·   Listener. While it's important to be an active listener,] keep in mind that people tend to talk about what doesn't feel OK. They don't talk about relationships that are going well, ... So in many instances, just hearing someone vent and not taking it too seriously is the way to go, unless your spouse asks for your honest reaction or ideas.

[·   You needn't discuss business all the time. Your career or activities are equally interesting topics of dinner-time conversation.] If the family business is too intrusive, ... it can take a toll on intimacy.

People will interview receptionists more carefully than they will with a potential partner. It's much easier for partners to work on a business plan or a marketing plan, rather than sort out how they're going to treat each another.

But you don't want to make your spouse's battles yours. You might have opinions, but ultimately it's your spouse who's in charge of his or her working life . . . and it's his or her family.

[·   Listener. While it's important to be an active listener,] keep in mind that people tend to talk about what doesn't feel OK. They don't talk about relationships that are going well, ... So in many instances, just hearing someone vent and not taking it too seriously is the way to go, unless your spouse asks for your honest reaction or ideas.