Thirty Years In: A Reflection on “Soul Mates”

By Jennifer Grant A friend posts a status update, tagging his wife, on Facebook:          A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance, and tenacity. The order varies in any given year. Thanks for 20 YEARS of all the above, my dearest! I think long-married people are less likely […]

Hey Kids, One More Thing: How About a “March for Our Families?”

By David Schel I was intrigued by students walking out of class for seventeen minutes on March 14th as well as March for Our Lives on March 24th.  I wonder if their outrage might extend to another area of their lives where they’d be justified in feeling adults have failed them? Just as all kids […]

In Praise of the Tenacity of Marriage

By Jennifer Grant At the small, religious college I attended, some girls joked that they were there to earn a “Mrs.” degree. I steered clear of them; their preoccupation with finding husbands seemed not only ridiculous but also pathetic to me. And I had plans. After college, I’d go to grad school, write a novel, […]

Is Marriage Obsolete? No! It’s More Needed Than Ever

By Mike McManus Marriage is declining in America.  There were only 2,077,000 marriages in 2015 – fewer than the 2,159,000 in 1970 when the population was only 203 million.  If the same percentage were getting married today, there would have been 1.3 million more marriages last year! Sadly, a large minority of the population – […]

Kids, Your Mom Wants a Divorce!

By Michele Weiner-Davis No one, especially not parents, takes the decision to divorce lightly. Most people flounder in their marriages for long periods of time and question themselves endlessly before throwing in the towel. The last thing parents want to do is to hurt their children. That’s why when it comes time to break the […]

In Training For My Grandchildren

By Jason Williams I’m 32-years-old.  My kids are eight, seven, and five. I figure I’m at least 15 years away from having grandchildren, but I’m already preparing for them. About three years ago, someone wiser than me told me what someone wiser than he was told him: “Don’t think of your children as your children. […]

Before You Tie The Knot

By Michele-Weiner Davis Does knowing one’s fiancée’s values, goals and aspirations increase the odds a couple will live happily ever after?” That’s what reporters often want to know when interviewing me about the questions people should ask before tying the knot. As someone who for several decades has specialized in working with couples teetering on […]

Why the American Family is Falling Apart

By Mike McManus The American family is falling apart.  Consider two grim trends. The U.S. marriage rate has plunged 57% since 1970, according to “The State of Our Unions” for 2012.  Two-thirds of Americans over age 15 used to be married.  Now it is only 48%. The unwed birth rate was only 5% in 1960 […]