John and Maria experienced "marriage-on-a-cloud" for the first 5 years of matrimony. The sparks were there. They were deeply in love. They spent every second together that they could possibly carve out. It was like heaven.

Then Maria gave birth to a couple of children. She now was constantly tired. She didn't look as good as she used to either. When John came home, she seemed preoccupied.

Over the years, they grew disappointed with each other. Maria felt bitter that John didn't seem to notice her anymore. And John was frustrated with the lack of intimacy they used to enjoy.

By the time the kids were entering high school, John and Maria decided to simply "gut it out" until the children both graduated. So no effort was made to improve the marriage over those 5 or 6 years. They simply plodded along, biding their time.

When the second child graduated, John and Maria suddenly wished that they could recapture the years before they had children in the house. It seemed like the perfect time- the kids were gone.

But after so many years of growing apart, the little counseling they got didn't help. They had waited too long. They eventually divorced.

If this couple had intervened when the children were young, their marriage could have been saved. Their biggest problem was that they waited. Eventually, so much damage had been done, neither wanted to make the effort or take the time to repair it.

Don't make the same mistake John and Maria did.