Marriage is for raising children

You may say I'm stuck in the 1960s and 1970s. But nothing in the last 40 or more years has changed my opinion in this regard. In the 1970s I believed that marriage was for one thing and one thing only. It was there to protect children from birth through college and on into being Granparents. Marriage is the glue of society. Marriage allows the next generation to survive childhood and college and get married and have kids of their own.

Though I'm fine with people disagreeing with me, it isn't very useful for anything else.

Why would any sane person marry unless they were going to raise children.

In fact, I'll go one better guys. Get your girlfriend pregnant before you marry. Otherwise, she may not even be able to have kids with you. Getting her pregnant is the only way you will know. Imagine how the two of you will tear into each other if she can't get pregnant.

If you can't get her pregnant and you love her just live together.

Why get married when it is about 10 times more difficult than running a successful business if you want to be friends and not want to kill each other.

Believe me, a business is nothing to making a marriage work for 5, 10 15, years and finding ways to stay together as you both become completely different people over time both physically, mentally, emotionally and sometimes even spiritually.

There is nothing as hard as raising kids and staying married. But if you are with a good friend there is nothing better that I have found. There is no career that I have found satisfying for more than about 5 years. But a good marriage with children well done will satisfy you in a contented sort of way for a lifetime.

You might say,"Where is all the excitement and happiness?"

The answer is, "Life is about mutual survival and happiness is always fleeting."

I've found that contentment can be almost forever or as close to that we get here on earth. Kids are wonderful until they are about 12 and then if you don't help them to become independent from you like they were designed they will leave and never look back. Unless they find you valuable they have no reason to even look back. So if you don't help them make a good transition into adulthood you are of no use to them. After raising 5 kids and helping two god daughters through college I can say that this article has been my experience since my son was first born in 1974. Since then I have been raising at least one child under 15 years old ever since then. My wife and I have a 12 year old here still.

Marriage is for raising kids. Why would you put yourself through marriage if you weren't doing it for your kids. If you aren't having kids you should just live together. That is my opinion after 60 years.