Many in today’s world see marriage as
less important, or perhaps less meaningful, than did their parents or
grandparents. According to Brad Wilcox and others in the publication The
State of Our Unions 2012: Marriage in America: The President’s Marriage Agenda,
marriage is on the decline. Many more people are choosing to live together
or stay single, rather than take the plunge into marriage.
Paul Amato and his colleagues at
Princeton University have analyzed hundreds of studies done over the last
several decades, and they have found that marriage is important to the
well-being of children. Children who experience the divorce of their parents
can feel the effects of that devastating event into adulthood.
Clearly, marriage is still vital to
society, and yet, it perhaps isn’t taken as seriously as it once was. My
husband and I were married in April of 1990, and we have had our ups and downs
throughout the years. We made the decision to always work through our problems,
and never allow the idea of divorce to enter into our thoughts. In fact, we
remind each other that we’re in it together forever!
Often, we hear about leaving a better
world for our children. What if part of that is teaching them, through precept
and example, that marriage matters? Children are happier, do better in school, are
more confident, and have better friendships when their parents are married and
stay that way (Amato, 2005). They grow up and are more likely to be in stable
relationships themselves. And really, isn’t that what all parents hope for?
Amato, P. R. (2005). The impact of family formation change on the cognitive, social, and emotional Well-being of the next
Generation. The Future of Children,15(2), 75-96.
doi:10.1353/foc.2005.0012
Wilcox, W. B. (2012). The state of our
unions 2012: marriage in America: the Presidents marriage agenda.
Charlottesville, VA: National Marriage Project, University of Virginia.
Retrieved January 15, 2018.
