[buttmunch]

[quote]I know it happens everyday but I would love to see society return to the days of first comes love then comes marriage then comes the baby carriage. But then again I would also love to see children not spending more time in daycare than with their parents, the return of morals and values and the end of the whole victim mentality that society has embraced....This will never happen but a girl can dream can't she?[quote]

I understand what you're saying but I don't think you can equate marriage with morality. Morality is remaining faithful and true, something that many people do without the benefit of a piece of paper. As far as what ourman is saying, if I actually understand it, is that half of all new marriages end in divorce, which is basically what I'm saying. Half of all marriages performed this year will end in divorce, so any marriage has only a 50% chance of surviving. Whatever. I refuse to say that being married is somehow a barometer of morality, the long-term prospects of a relationship or a gauge of anything really. My husband and I were together for ten years before we got married and probably would have stayed unmarried but for a few legal issues. And like I said, I know a couple that were blissfully unmarried for nearly 30 years and only eloped for fun well after everyone had stopped giving a shit. I think it all comes down to the level of committment you have in the first place. You can be married all you want and still be a shitty husband/wife/father/mother who is unfaithful not just physically but mentally and emotionally. You either are there or not and no little ceremony is going to change that.