The establishment of marriage is good for individuals and society. Families are created and held together by the lifelong commitment of a man and a woman who live cooperatively and raise and nurture their children. Not only is marriage vital to society, the benefits of marriage for both adults and children are well recognized. Married people live longer, spend less time in hospital, have great incomes and enjoy greater emotional support. Children raised by their father and mother are less likely to live in poverty, drop out of school and are more likely to finish college. They are also at a lower risk for becoming sexually active in their teen years. However, families now face some extraordinary challenges today, including divorce, extra marital affairs, birth of child before marriage etc. that contribute to lessened family, individual and community welfare.
According to Readers Digest, there are Seven Stages of Marriage. The first stage, commonly known as the Honeymoon stage, is when the romance and intimacy is at its strongest point in the marriage. This stage normally is the first two years of marriage, which can vary depending on the couple. This time may also be the establishment of trust, respect and emotional intimacy that will act as a foundation for the marriage. As always, most good things come to an end and the next stage is that of realization. At this point, a more realistic vision of the rest of your life begins. This marks the time of really seeing one another person's true colors.
Even as adults, we tend to have a little rebelliousness still left in us that may come out during the marriage. This is the stage of rebellion. During this time in the marriage, the self-interest often overtakes the interest and main objective of being married. As much as couples would love to skip this phase, some things just have to be put to the test. Examples of this can be the husband leaving the seat up in the bathroom or the wife taking hours to get ready to go out which are things that can lead to little arguments over time.
