Serious Discussion-Stress and Psych Disorders — Page 18

*gives SOMMS a "time out"*

---

Hmmm.... I'm trying to think of something worthy of a Friday.

I love the varied topics that have been covered so far, and all of the participation from such a diverse group of people!

Great thread!

---

*looks up from her deck of Old Maid cards*

---

Seriously, guys, seriously. I really didn't create this thread to become just like the rest of them.
I'm not trying to be snarky, but either contribute to the topic at hand (or the creation of the topic) or don't post. Please.

Well, I suppose it was a nice thread while it lasted.
Enjoy your jack, guys.

Some facts:

During the 1950s the men and women born and raised during the depression and the war years came of age. They married sooner than any other cohorts who have reached adulthood in the twentieth century before or since. About three-fourths of the women born in 1930 to 1934 were married by age twenty-three; in contrast, women born twenty years earlier or later were two or three years older before three-fourths of them were married. Moreover, the long-term rise in divorce affected those who came of age in the 1950s less than some other cohorts. In addition, more of the women in the paternal generation of the 1950s had two or more children than did the women in either their parents’ or their children’s generations. The distinctive family patterns of the young adults of the 1950s suggest that when we look for explanations of the postwar trends, we should examine the experience of growing up in the depression and war years.

As for the children of the 1950s - who were born during the baby boom and who reached adulthood in the 1960s and 1970s - they, too, have been distinctive in some respects. To be sure, their pattern of marrying has been more like the typical twentieth-century pattern than was the case for their parents’ generation. But in the 1980s, women’s average age at marriage rose beyond the twentieth century high. And since 1970 there has been a great increase in cohabitation prior to and after marriages. These recent changes suggest that the place of the institution of marriage in American society may be changing.

Moreover, the lifetime levels of divorce for persons who married in the 1960s and 1970s will increase beyond what we would expect from the long term trend. Rates in the 1980s, although stable, still imply that about half of all marriages begun in the mid 1970s will end in divorce or separation. Most of those who divorce will live with a partner and eventually marry, creating an unprecedented number of unions in which one partner or both has been previously married.

---

As was I (being serious). My dating/relationship experience has been like a game of Chutes and Ladders--many ups and downs with the overriding threat of not winning in the end.

Updated On: 1/27/06 at 08:52 AM

I don't know if we've settled on this topic, but I just want to take this opportunity to say that I don't like the concept of government recognized marriage - it's basically nothing more than social engineering, to my mind. People ask if I'm for gay marriage, and I answer that I'm against all marriage - at least as something that the government has anything to do with.

I see no reason to treat individual members of society differently simply based on whether they are married or not. The coersion into choosing that kind of life is way to anti-Libertarian for my blood.

DG,

Good question. I'm not sure pressure is what I feel. I do feel lonely at times when I see the families sitting together. But many of those families are single parent as well due to divorce or death. And, I know that being married is not a guarantee of bliss or a buffer against loneliness.

The Church is very careful to remind us that we all have worth and should take care of each other regardless of marital status.

It just feels like a longing sometimes that make my heart feel sad. Marriage and family are highly valued and I still hope they are something I can enjoy in this life.

However, I do not feel less valued. I serve in many callings (volunteer positions) and have served in leadership capacity. I've always feel like my opinion counts and has an impact.

As for society in general, I see more focus on single-ness than on marriage.

---

Beacon - that is one of the most beautifully worded posts I have read on this board. Thank you.

and SOMMS, I can only imagine!

Mr. Singer...we need a change on the title of the thread so folks will know to come to the new discussion.

---

The only things I've ever heard is that it's a) supposed to provide a stability to society, or b) it's supposed to foster the 'makin' babies' process. I think we get a clue now as to how stable it's made things, and I have a feeling that babies are going to get made no matter what.