I teach a Marriage and Family Living Class to high school juniors and seniors and do couple marriage workshops with my husband. From time to time I will have students who are already living with a partner, a couple even buying a house with their partners.
When we discuss marriage in class, I hear them say -- "I'm not getting married until I have lived with the person for a few years first." When I ask why they choose cohabitation first, they often reply, "I don't want to go through a divorce like my parents did."
Sometimes I will hear middle aged friends say, "Marriage hardly ever happens." or "That might be okay for the younger ones, but not for people like me - I can't afford another divorce."
What are the benefits of marriage to a man? to a woman? to the children?
What is it about marriage that is different than cohabitation?
What's commitment got to do with it?
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"I don't want to go through a divorce like my parents did."
ReplyDeleteThat's really sad. Teaching by example is very powerful, unfortunately in this case the parents taught their kids the wrong thing. Had the parents opted for counseling or marriage workshops this might not have happened.