Preparing for Marriage

I heard about an 18-year-old boy who was married in a formal church wedding. For his big day, he was decked out in a rented tuxedo and shoes. All went well until the couple was heading out the door, about to leave the wedding reception. The groom's mother, afraid he would not remember to return the shoes with the tux, yelled across the room, "Don't forget to take your shoes off!"

Yes, it seems at wedding time everybody wants to give you some kind of advice and not just about the wedding night. In fact, if you're planning to get married, chances are someone has asked you, "Do you really know what you're doing?" Well, I'm not going to ask you that, because I'm already confident you don't. Now, I'm not trying to put you down, but I've counseled enough engaged and married couples to realize you simply can't know all that's involved.

You have no idea of the possibilities for real joy and completeness you might experience in marriage. Just watching a sunset together, walking in the woods or listening to your favorite song will take on new meaning. I'm excited for you as you stand on the threshold of this remarkable journey!

But you also may not understand all the dangers involved:

  • Each year, more than two million couples divorce, involving about a million children.
  • Over the past 20 years, the proportion of people who marry three or more times increased from 4 percent of marriages to 8 percent of the total.
  • Children of divorce, particularly women, have a much higher chance of getting divorced themselves than children of intact families.

So what does it take to build a fulfilling, lasting marriage? How can you avoid the problems that commonly end relationships? And how can you keep from becoming a divorce statistic? Read more about pitfalls and promises in "The Dos and Don'ts of a Good Marriage."

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Life PressuresWorking Moms, Stay-at-Home Moms

RelationshipsBlended Families, Divorce, Parents and Adult Children, Caring for Elderly Parents