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How Premarital Counseling Might Help Marriages

What comes next? The other week one of the local radio station’s morning talk program held a discussion on marriage. A young engaged woman called in. She said that she signed herself and her fiance up for premarital counseling. She did so, she claimed, because her husband-to-be doesn’t know anything about what a modern marriage ought to be like. Her beloved was raised by his socially conservative grandmother. Now that they’re approaching their married life it came out that he believes she will do all of the work around the house and take care of the kids. We’ve looked at … Continue reading →

Special Needs Children and Your Marriage

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The divorce rate is high in this country – over 50%. That’s huge. That’s more than half of the weddings you have been to and half of the happy couples you have celebrated with. Although statistics differ, the divorce rate is even higher for couples who have children with special needs. And I completely understand why. We head into marriage with big dreams, goals and ideas of how it will be. We picture this perfect life with these perfect kids. We may expect some bumps along the way, but when your child is sick, disabled, or challenged in anyway, it … Continue reading →

Marriage Isn’t Fashionable

‘Marriage isn’t fashionable. People these days are not keen on commitment.’ This was the assessment of an eighty year acquaintance recently. Is he right? Given the state of marriage in USA and many other countries around the world, one could suggest there’s an element of truth in those remarks. In fact I’d dare to suggest that even when people do marry there is often an element of that lack of commitment. I see it often in the forums, and as I hear others talking about marriage and life in general. There is a sense that some men and women are … Continue reading →

The State of Sex and Marriage

Here is everything you might have always wanted to know about sex and marriage, or at least what some of the statistics are. I always think that it is interesting to look at statistics. They can often put things into perspective. Of course, there are always exceptions to the general rule, but at least it gives you a general idea of where things fall with the rest of the world. Statistics can sometimes dispel popular myths. I compiled some interesting statistics from different surveys and reports. Married people have more sex than non-married people. This statistic may surprise quite a … Continue reading →

Marriage is Weakening in America

I just read an interesting report put out by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University. Each year, they release a State of the Union about the health of marriage in the United States. While the won’t release on for 2008 until the year is over, I thought it might be interesting to discuss the findings for 2007. David Popenoe wrote the essay for 2007’s report. In it, he talks about how the U.S. is following the trends of European nations toward nonmarriage. There is a continuing cultural shift away from traditional marriage as the primary social institute of family … Continue reading →

Defying the Odds

There are always exceptions to any rule. Statistics can give a general pattern of society’s trends but there are always those that defy the odds and do not fit the general pattern. As I read Mary Ann’s article, I was saddened to read the sad state of marriage in America. Sadly, it’s no different in Australia. When our daughter was at school she was one of few who had parents who were together and had only ever been married to each other. As Mary Ann’s blog mentioned most families had step parents, step sisters, stepbrothers. Listening to many of the … Continue reading →