"I, ___, take you, ___, for my lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part." These words used to hold a binding agreement between partners to solidify the sacredness of marriage. In today’s generation, almost half of those who utter these words will break this promise. To end this epidemic, we must ensure happier relationships from the start.
Relationship values are learned from a young age, and many people’s actions mirror that of their own parents. This was the case for my own father. His parents did not have a very loving relationship, but his grandparents did. My dad would spend every morning at his grandfather’s farm, doing the chores, spending his time with him . Before they left for work on the farm, or to go to school, they would sneak down the hallway, into the bedroom where grandma slept peacefully. My dad would watch his grandfather giggle, and quietly make his way to the bedside where he would lay a kiss upon his wife’s cheek as she grumbled at him to “go away”. My dad learned how to treat a woman from his grandparents. Every morning, before we leave for work in school, I watch my dad walk into his bedroom, and kiss my mom on the cheek; she grumbles and fusses at him to leave, and I never see him happier. By mirroring positive relationships, we are giving positive relationships to future generations. With the development of technology, and social influences, relationships are no longer “to death do us part,” but rather “until I get fed up in trying.” As time goes on, people are more in love with the idea of a relationship than they are with their significant other; this has lead to a generation of divorce and self loathing individuals. Yet, what causes this? “Children see, children do” is a common theory referring to children following their parents footsteps. Studies have shown that children with divorced parents are more likely to have a divorce in their life as well. A study conducted by Judith Wallerstein has a few theories as to why. In the article Are Children of Divorce Doomed to Fail Renée Peltz Dennison, Ph.D. discussed Wallerstein’s research,“First, many researchers have focused on parents as being important marriage role models. They argue that most of us model our own marriage after our parents’ marriage, and are therefore likely to experience the same result. Second, more specifically, those of us with divorced parents (or parents with poor quality marriages), are not likely to learn important relationship skills that we need to build successful marriages” (Dennison, PhD). Studies show that children learn by example in all things; especially in their relationships to others. According to these studies, children see their parents actions and mirror their them in their lives. To stop the epidemic of divorce, we need to ensure happier relationships from the moment they start. For a relationship to be successful, both people need to feel supported …show more content…
Yet, many relationships are doomed to fail from start due to unrealistic expectations placed on their partners. One of these unrealistic expectations is based on the emphasis of physical relationship--or sex. And ultimately, if a relationship over-emphasizes the physical needs in the relationship, it is likely that intellectual and/or emotional connections will also be threatened. One example of what happens is related to couples who prioritize sexual satisfaction over emotional connections. Many of my friends parents have pornagraphy addications. This is not uncommon, over 12% of the United States actively watched pornography. This statistic does not seem like much, until you realize that 12% of the United States population is equivalent to 41 million people. A recent study analyzed hundreds of scenes in popular porn, and found that 88% of them depicted violent behavior toward women (Douglas). Zac Douglas discussed the negative effects of pornography in his article, 5 Ways Porn Ruins Relationships; he quotes, “A healthy, romantic relationship is cultivated through physical, intellectual and emotional connections. If one is removed, the entire relationship will crumble.” When one section this trifecta is taken away, the negatives fall into place and take over any positive
Relationship values are learned from a young age, and many people’s actions mirror that of their own parents. This was the case for my own father. His parents did not have a very loving relationship, but his grandparents did. My dad would spend every morning at his grandfather’s farm, doing the chores, spending his time with him . Before they left for work on the farm, or to go to school, they would sneak down the hallway, into the bedroom where grandma slept peacefully. My dad would watch his grandfather giggle, and quietly make his way to the bedside where he would lay a kiss upon his wife’s cheek as she grumbled at him to “go away”. My dad learned how to treat a woman from his grandparents. Every morning, before we leave for work in school, I watch my dad walk into his bedroom, and kiss my mom on the cheek; she grumbles and fusses at him to leave, and I never see him happier. By mirroring positive relationships, we are giving positive relationships to future generations. With the development of technology, and social influences, relationships are no longer “to death do us part,” but rather “until I get fed up in trying.” As time goes on, people are more in love with the idea of a relationship than they are with their significant other; this has lead to a generation of divorce and self loathing individuals. Yet, what causes this? “Children see, children do” is a common theory referring to children following their parents footsteps. Studies have shown that children with divorced parents are more likely to have a divorce in their life as well. A study conducted by Judith Wallerstein has a few theories as to why. In the article Are Children of Divorce Doomed to Fail Renée Peltz Dennison, Ph.D. discussed Wallerstein’s research,“First, many researchers have focused on parents as being important marriage role models. They argue that most of us model our own marriage after our parents’ marriage, and are therefore likely to experience the same result. Second, more specifically, those of us with divorced parents (or parents with poor quality marriages), are not likely to learn important relationship skills that we need to build successful marriages” (Dennison, PhD). Studies show that children learn by example in all things; especially in their relationships to others. According to these studies, children see their parents actions and mirror their them in their lives. To stop the epidemic of divorce, we need to ensure happier relationships from the moment they start. For a relationship to be successful, both people need to feel supported …show more content…
Yet, many relationships are doomed to fail from start due to unrealistic expectations placed on their partners. One of these unrealistic expectations is based on the emphasis of physical relationship--or sex. And ultimately, if a relationship over-emphasizes the physical needs in the relationship, it is likely that intellectual and/or emotional connections will also be threatened. One example of what happens is related to couples who prioritize sexual satisfaction over emotional connections. Many of my friends parents have pornagraphy addications. This is not uncommon, over 12% of the United States actively watched pornography. This statistic does not seem like much, until you realize that 12% of the United States population is equivalent to 41 million people. A recent study analyzed hundreds of scenes in popular porn, and found that 88% of them depicted violent behavior toward women (Douglas). Zac Douglas discussed the negative effects of pornography in his article, 5 Ways Porn Ruins Relationships; he quotes, “A healthy, romantic relationship is cultivated through physical, intellectual and emotional connections. If one is removed, the entire relationship will crumble.” When one section this trifecta is taken away, the negatives fall into place and take over any positive