How embarrassing!
Anyway, the point of my blather this evening when I should be doing at least 3 other things (sewing, counting Box Tops for the end of the year submission, dishes, laundry, mothering, etc.) is that the article I want to read FIRST is called Are Cohabitating Catholics Always Living In Sin?
Oooo, shiver of attentiveness because I recognize people I know and love in this situation. Hubbers just now tells me that he thinks it sounds like gossip. Is it? Or is it just educating yourself on a trend that is very likely to continue?
Nevertheless, there are a LOT of people in this situation. Here's some stats on this:
-- All About Cohabitating before Marriage
- In 2004 there were 5,080,000 unmarried couples in America.
- Between 1960 and 2004, the number of unmarried couples in America increased by over 1200%
- Cohabitation rates are 8.2% for Mormons, 20 to 24% for Protestants, 23.1% for Catholics, 32.5% for Jews, and 44.8% for nonreligious Americans.
- The risk of divorce after living together is 40 to 85% higher than the risk of divorce after not living together. In other words, those who live together before marriage are almost twice as likely to divorce than those who did not live together.
- Cohabiting couples have an 80%+ chance that their relationship will end. (40% breakup before they marry; the other 40% divorce within 10 years of marrying.)
Because I made mistakes in my life before kids and marriage, because I wish to teach my children not to make the same mistakes (make new and different ones!), because I wish to live the life of the religion I profess, because I believe that marriage is a sacrament, because I thought this article looked good, I'm sharing it with you. You can't read it online just now - you have to purchase the magazine. I'd offer to share mine, but then what would I read while... occupied?
A few more resources:
Reasons Marriage is better
The Positive Benefits of Marriage
One last thing: 5 Mins for Mom is having a Nexcare bandage give away - 1 yr supply - 45 boxes! I really hope I win this one (but you can enter too) since we go through bandaids like candy around here, what with Hubbers being a skater, BoyBoy being a boy, and the girls thinking they can climb trees. Visit on over there and enter to win!
1 comment:
Hmmm, I have a relative that would love a copy of that article to share with her daughter. Her daughter is engaged but mom refuses to take one step into their house, even if they are in seperate bedrooms, until AFTER the wedding.
And I'm curious on this one too. What if you are living in the same house together as 2 people contributing to the rent? Yes, huge temptation! But, if your still only sharing the roof as a way to save money? Is there any insight on this in the article?
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