Marriage

“I Do”, “Maybe”, or “No Way”

????????????????????????

Why People Get Married

• More than 90 percent of adults are married.

• Want to make a life long commitment to the one they love and respect.

• Want to have children or seeking the life long commitment.

• Some feel it is expected.• Some do not want to be alone.

Successful MarriageWhat Does It Take?

• Love and Respect• Putting your partners needs before yours• Sacrifices• Emotional Security

– What if a certain job you want involves moving – What if you want children but your spouse does not?– Those who are emotionally insecure may have a difficult time

making the kinds of compromises that are required to sustain a partnership.

• Communication• Conflict resolution

Reasons why people do not get married

• Marriage is not for everyone.– Busy Jobs– Prefer to be single

• Those who don’t marry usually have more time with friends and career.

• Some feel marriage will jeopardize their freedom.

• 50% of all marriages end in divorce.

Teen Marriage• Difficulties

– Financial support while still in high school– Married teens find they must leave school to work full time

• If married teens also had a child– Impossible to do the things they once took for granted, ex.

movies, eating out, and being with friends

• Teens might find it difficult to make compromises and selfless decisions.– Teenagers are still developing emotionally and probably are

not ready to put another persons needs before their own.

Divorce & RemarriageWhat is the effect on the child?

The pain of divorce.

Divorce & RemarriageUnfortunately not all marriages

are successful• Separation- When a marriage falters,

couples try to live apart for awhile.• Divorce- a legal end to a marriage.• Can be very painful emotionally

– Children

• Sometimes divorced people decide to marry again– This can also be difficult for children.

Divorce Scenario

So……………………………What would you do?

?

Parenthood

• May be the most important decision you will ever make.

• Rewarding and exciting, but not easy!– Requires attention and care 24 hours a day 7

days a week!

• If married couples or teens do not want to start a family they can use contraception.– Contraception- is a device or method that

prevents the fertilization or implantation of a women’s egg.

• Some are more effective than others.– Pg 396 figure 18-7 shows reliability of various

forms of contraception.

Responsibilities of being a parent

• Caring for another human being completely

• Putting the welfare of your child before everything else

• Being able to support your child financially and emotionally.– Must be emotionally mature

• This takes years of growth and experience

Responsibilities Cont.

• Every state requires parents to support their children until they reach the age of 18 (in some states it is 21). – Clothing, feeding, and educating a child for 18

years is extraordinarily expensive.

• Good parents must provide discipline

Discipline

• It is not easy to reprimand or punish a child for making mistakes.– You may have made the same mistakes when

you were younger.

• Discipline that is accompanied by compassion and love is the best way to help a child understand what is right and what is wrong.

For all its difficulties and challenges, being a parent is one of life’s most satisfying experiences.

How good of a parent do you think you’d be when you become an adult?