Divorce

 With the divorce rates being so high these days, do you think people have given up on the idea of a healthy marriage? Do people just give up far too quickly? Well according to Dr. Michelle Weiner-Davis, an author and a clinical licensed social worker, the simple is yes, she believes that people give up too easily. There have been couples that I have heard that have decided to finalize their decision on divorce after one large blowout. I may not know the full story but it seemed a little quick to be calling a divorce after a couple months of being married. It is heartbreaking to hear that they have been faced with divorce at such a young age and only for being married for a couple months but do you think that something could have been done to save it? I certainly think so. A lot can be done to save a crippling marriage, the work just has to be done. It turns out that the scary fact that we have all heard that 50% of marriages will end in a divorce is actually extremely false. The real data that was collected proves that less than 25% of marriages end in divorce in the past ten years, but it is also important to remember that the marriage rate in the United States has also fallen in the past decade. Cohabitation is now the new marriage. Rather than having to deal with all the paperwork that comes with marriage, why not just live together? Seems easier right? Cohabitation does not guarantee that your relationship will last. As members of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, we believe in not living with the opposite gender before marriage, which actually kinda forces us to ponder really hard about these relationships before marriage. I think it is a blessing that we have to truly think hard about marriage as a couple because you want to make sure that it will work out. People defend cohabitation by stating that it gives the couples time to see if they really will work out because it is easier to just break things off and move out instead of a divorce right? I feel like people choose to practice cohabitation instead of trying a marriage because they may have been children of a divorce, and it put such a strain on their lives that they don't want to do that to their own children. My best friend from high school has told me since the day I met her that she could never see herself becoming a wife. Her mother always told her to not waste her time on a man because they will just end up cheating on her. It is very hard to realize that she is slightly traumatized by her own marriage. Again it is hard to understand but marriages can be saved, during these times it is very easy for people to want to just give up on everything but it is important to seek some sort of help. Marriages can be saved through counsel and hard work. Not only is it for the benefit of the two, but for the children and the families that they share. It has a strong influence on the kids and will have an impact on them. If the parents are willing to communicate and sacrifice for the sake of their marriage and their children, they will be able to strive for a healthy marriage. As this next generation starts to unite in matrimony, it is important to talk about the problems but it is more important to find a solution. Marriage requires sacrifice.