Do You Believe in Marriage?

[CellarDweller]

as we can see from the posts in this thread, marriage is different things to different people.  Very interesting reading in this thread.

I've seen both sides of marriage in my life.

My mother's parents should never have been married.  They "had" to get married when grandpa got grandma pregnant with mom.  It was the mid 1940's, being single and pregnant was a big no-no.  There was no love between them, and they were both verbally and emotionally abusive to each other.  I saw that from my youngest years until the day they died.  Yelling at the top of their lungs at each other, calling each other "bitch", "bastard", "asshole", "whore".  It was not a pleasant enviornment.  They refused to divorce because of mom, and then because of the grandkids.  They made each other miserable until gram was put into the Alzheimer's facility.

The fact that my mom was able to rise above and get a major victory in her own life with her marriage to my dad makes me happy for her.  They've been married for 43 years.  Mom knew she had a "keeper" when dad said he was willing to wait until marriage for sex.  Mom knew what happened between her parents, and wasn't going to repeat their history.  Dad is 68, and mom is 64.  They still call each other pet names, hold hands out on the street when they walk, go out on dates, take vacations together, go dancing, and are very much in love.  Everything that my grandfather was not to my grandma, dad is to mom.

And I look forward to having that in my life as well.

[moremojo]

Chuck, that's a beautiful story you shared about your parents.

I should emphasize that when I speak of my dubious feelings regarding marriage, I'm speaking of the legal aspect of the institution, and not the sense of commitment that the institution theoretically enshrines. I'm all for people finding that special someone and seeking to forge a lifetime of commitment together, as long as that works for them. I'm really coming from the "it's just a piece of paper" angle when I speak of legal marriage--I do think that's both antiquated and unnecessary. But love itself never goes out of style. 

[loneleeb3]

I believe in marriage if it is entered into by two people who love each other and are comitted to it.
Still doesn't mean it will work out but if people are willing to work at it, marriage can work.
My Grandparents met in the 7th grade. They have been together ever since for over 75 years!
I think Marriage should be availble for all who want to be married gay or straight.