Can your marriage survive the demands of work, kids and ageing parents?

Burdened by conflicting demands, 40-something couples can often turn against each other, says Helen O’Callaghan.

IT WAS different before the children. Her husband was number-one. When work was done, she had space for herself and she could give her best to him.

“We nurtured each other. The sex was good. We’d plan small surprises we knew the other would enjoy,” says Anna, a professional Cork woman in her late 40s.