The "Cure" for Divorce

The title grabbed me - "The Cure for Divorce".  This will be interesting, I thought.  I wonder what the author's theory is? So I clicked on the link, and I found it so fascinating that I'm sharing the secret with you:

The "cure" for divorce is -- are you ready? -- not to commit for such a long time in the first place.  Really.

The author (who is appropriately named "Tad Low") explains his philosophy like this:  "Let's say you've successfully dated a girl for a while. Rather than agreeing to "till death do you part," you agree to a "time-limited marriage": At regular intervals, you either renew or walk away . . . and remain friends. You still have the fancy ceremony, the heartfelt toasts from college roommates, and the slew of candlesticks and Calphalon. But you don't have the pressure of permanence or the soul-draining despair of divorce."

Well, let's toast to that!

What do you say to your girlfriend when you propose?  "Well, honey, I plan to love you, but only for about 1.5 years.  After that I get the goldfish, okay?"

And what happens when kids get thrown in the mix?  Never fear, Mr. Low has an answer for that (I am not making this up):  "Who cares [about the kids]?"

Heartwarming, isn't it?  So sweet to think of a father not caring how his kids feel about their mother getting thrown off the family train.  "If their parents' contract ends," Mr. Low insists, "they're still better off than being stuck in the middle of a traditional divorce."

Are they?  Are kids really better off knowing that their parents marriage is set to expire?  That dad has a specific end date when he is allowed to trade mom in for a younger model?

This is, frankly, disgusting. 

The fact is that marriage is not, and never can be, only about two people and their feelings for each other.  Marriage is the foundation of a family.  And a family cannot stand on a foundation that isn't built to last. 

But, I've got to hand it to Mr. Low.  He's already made me feel like my marriage is stronger. 

After all, I was smart enough not to marry a jerk like him.