Relationships are hard work. Even the best ones will experience highs and lows, as well as good moods and bad ones. They will be tested and strained. Adding children to the mix is a great way to amplify the stress, pushing you to the brink in the quest for survival.

When you have kids, you are constantly knackered.

I'm onto my third coffee of the morning, just typing this, so I can only imagine how many you've drunk reading your way through to here.

Keeping your relationship alive when you're both knackered is one of the toughest challenges you will face. While that does improve somewhat as kids leave infancy, you'll still be lucky if you can find the time to have a proper, uninterrupted adult conversation more than once a week. What would previously be a dinner date discussion or a quip shared over morning coffee is suddenly an episodic saga played out in single-syllable bursts with no clearly outlined timeframe for completion.

Married with Children was a funny show, but being married with kids is stressful, but much like anything else in life, you can get through it. There will be times when it feels like only a miracle will keep you together, but trust me, you will both be fine.

This collection of articles offers relationship advice and tips packed with realistic, everyday guidance on how to survive as a couple when you're both running on empty. Navigating having to deal with ex-partners and blended family chaos. Your relationship will change. I won't lie. The lazy Sunday mornings in bed are a thing of the childless past. But even brief moments, like a quick five minutes together, suddenly take on greater meaning.

Just never lose sight of the fact that all of your relationships matter. That includes friendships and the greater bond of family, too. Even when it feels like it comes last on the list, never let it slip off entirely.