Are there trends in Marriage?
We see many trends in marriage? We have seen our parents and how they parented us, we see our neighbors and see how they react to each other. We see society and see how it effects us. Are we like our parents or society? Do we take what they have taught us and teach it to our children? Has your family followed a trend? Is that a good thing or bad?
All of us have parents it is inevitable. In that we are all the same. What are different are our families. I feel quite safe in stating that my family is probably quite different than yours. For example in my family my Mom hated the word booger, along with other things. A fact that still makes me smile today. My parents passed a lot of beliefs and traditions down to me, for example, I tell my children about Santa just like my parents did, I discipline my children very similar to my parents, and I teach my children about money the same way my parents did. I wanted a big family, just like all my extended family. Did you know I have around 67 first cousins? A family reunion with just my grandparents down would consist of over 500 people. Another trend in my family is that most of us are active in the same church and we generally tend to have a long life span with 5 generations all living at the same time.
There are other trends in marriage and families that may not be so fun however. Our families effect us and how we tend to live our own lives. Traditions, good and bad are passed down for generations. Statistics in the National Marriage Project, show that some of these trends are Marriage trends, when we get married and to whom, Parenting Styles, Education, Divorce, Cohabitation before marriage, Abuse, Addictions, and so much more. Many of these trends are hurting our families as well as our societies in a big way. Statics show that children who live outside of a family of a married Mother and Father have higher rates of suicide, depression, anger and anxiety, or repeat grades among other things. ( Wilcox, p.13) Discipline and care of the children are inconsistent and problematic in single parent homes, children have weaker emotional bonds and show behavior problems and aggression. ( Amato, p. 77) 50% of all first time marriages are likely to end in divorce. (Wilcox, p .1)
Fortunately we can be the change of things in our own families. Calrfred Broderick says “A transitional character is one who, in a single generation, changes the entire course of a lineage. The changes might be for good or ill, but the most noteworthy examples are those individuals who grow up in an abusive, emotionally destructive environment and who somehow find a way to metabolize the poison and refuse to pass it on to their children.” ( for full quote see Broderick p. 18)
I personally have had the opportunity to know someone who is doing just that, breaking a chain of traditions she no longer wishes to carry on to her children. I find that kind of strength amazing and something to admire. Lets keep the good trends in our families and marriage that make us stronger, and lets overcome the rest.
References:
Amato, Paul R. "The Impact Of Family Formation Change On The Cognitive, Social, And Emotional, Well-Being Of The Next Generation". Byui.brightspace.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
Broderick, C. (1992). Marriage and the Family. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
"The Family: A Proclamation To The World". Lds.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 Sept. 2016. https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng
Wilcox, William Bradford. The State Of Our Unions 2012. Charlottesville, VA: National Marriage Project, University of Virginia, 2012. Print.
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