The 6 Husbands Every Wife Should Have is not an endorsement for polygamy or divorce, but a reminder that healthy marriages must adapt to the major life changes most people experience. Steven Craig draws upon his experience as a clinical psychologist, corporate coach and therapist as well as a husband to elaborate on how couples often grow apart by remaining static in the roles they inhabited when first married.
Craig makes the case for change--"Marriages don't fail when people change; they fail when people don't change"--then presents his five principles for strong relationships. Next, he analyzes the needs of each spouse during six common stages of life from dating and the early marriage years to, parenthood, empty nesting and retirement. He suggests how to avoid common stumbling blocks by recognizing when the relationship is working and by building intimacy when it's not; he illustrates some of his ideas by sharing transcripts of actual conversations between couples, then rewriting them for better results. Finally, he provides concrete strategies for creating an ideal marriage, along with quizzes, guides and worksheets.
Even the strongest relationships will benefit from Craig's practical strategies for balancing the demands of children and spouse as well as how to avoid allowing those family members with the fewest coping skills to dominate family dynamics. (He also adapts each stage of his plan to apply to childless marriages.) Craig believes marriage is less a marathon than a decathlon; The 6 Husbands Every Wife Should Have helps his readers navigate the common trials of life. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics