Marriage apparently isn't that popular anymore...

Just read an article on Yahoo News titled Four in 10 say marriage is becoming obsolete. 

Being a recently married woman this article obviously peaked my interest.  According to a recent survey more and more children are living with only one parent or parents who aren't married, which they say is 5 times more the amount since 1960. 

Do you think you need to be married to have a "family"?  I wouldn't say I'm the most traditional person but I really like the idea of two people getting married (for the right reasons) and starting a family (if they want children) out of love.  I believe many people do not take the institution of marriage seriously and wind up marrying the wrong person or rushing into something they shouldn't have.  It sort of infuriates me when people take marriage so lightly and think well if it doesn't work out we'll just get a divorce (before they're even married).  For me I don't think my husband and I will get a divorce but I'm still a realist so I say "we're just hoping for the best" and know from talking to many people with experience that marriage is hard work.  I'm ready to work hard for my future family because otherwise I wouldn't have gotten married in the first place. 

I am by no means an expert or a therapist but I just believe that if you have problems or just want to talk things out, seeking counseling is helpful and even if you don't end up staying together at least it will shed light on why the relationship won't work out.  Every time Dave and I left pre-marital counseling we felt good talking things out.  There are a lot of things that come to light that you normally wouldn't have thought about if it weren't for that objective third party in the room.  Many times it's difficult to share your emotions and feelings with your significant other when they can't see past their own views and vice versa. 

I always wanted to try out therapy alone but never had the insurance to do so.  When I brought it up to Dave he was a little weary at first because he's never had a therapist that he connected to so he didn't feel it helped him.  We luckily found a woman that we both liked meeting with and Dave found that he was opening up a lot more easily than any of his previous experiences.  So if you plan on seeking therapy I think it's so important to find someone you connect with and that actually seems like they enjoy their job. 

If you're not ready to get married, take your time, there's no shame in waiting for what you want.  Don't settle for anything less than the best.  At the end of the day you want to be happy and that's what's most important.

Full Yahoo article on the decline of marriage... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_declining_marriage