Lead
"Since the baby arrived, nothing clicks with my partner." "My partner's family keeps weighing in on every parenting decision." "I'm tired of the parent network, but I also can't stop going." The relational changes of the parenting years are widely felt but hard to put into words. "Postpartum relationship crisis" is a phrase that circulates, but explanations of why relationships change structurally during this period are surprisingly scarce. Psychologist John Gottman's longitudinal research, conducted over more than 40 years, identified recurring patterns in relationship deterioration and repair. That work offers a lens that differs from "we're just not compatible."