Most of the problems in our society today are rooted in problems inside the home.

For the last three plus decades, I’ve been part of an organization dedicated to helping couples with their marriages and parents with their children. There are all kinds of things that lead to thriving families, much of it predicated on marital commitment. But one area that doesn’t seem to get enough attention is the value of couples developing and maintaining healthy friendships with other couples outside the home.

“There is no possession more valuable than a good and faithful friend,” wrote Socrates. The Dominican friar Thomas Aquinas agreed. “Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious,” he reflected.

Married couples need to spend one-on-one time together to be healthy. But they also need a community of couples who positively influence their relationship.

That’s because your marriage is not an island. You need to interact with other couples — to invest in their lives and for them to invest in yours. This is especially important because so many people live far away from members of their extended family and can’t benefit from their influence. If you don’t have family support, the influence of good friends is invaluable.

Originally published in the Washington Times.