Good afternoon class and Professor,

For this discussion question I found an article on four couples that were married 50 years or more. Between the couples, they have been married for 256 years. That is amazing. I am married only 6 1/2 yrs and my first marriage I was married 13 years and that does not compare to 50. To be married over 50 years is like “WOW!” Some of the people in the article were high school sweethearts, one couple got married in 1942 before the husband was going into the army during WWII. Now they have six children, 11 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. For most of them there is the respect for one or another and they are also best friends. There is not alot of arguing. They do things together, don’t go to bed angry was a big one. One couple mentioned, remember the vows that were said and go back to them. If you have kids and you have an argument, do not argue in front of the kids. Another could be love and a wonderful companionship. A big point would be communication. There were so many helpful hints in the article. Another for instance – “Don’t sweat the small stuff”. The best one I liked was the husband in order to keep the peace was, he picks out the cars and the electronics and he leaves the rest to his wife. In the long run alot of them said they would do it all over again. Here’s to many years for these couples.

Have a good day.

Maria

1 posts

Re: Topic 4 DQ 1

I have heard the saying “finance and romance” are the two main causes of divorce in the US, and I would have to agree with that. The article that I read, on the surface, is mostly just discussing that the couple have been married for 50 years and have never had a fight about money or finance issues. The article discusses how the couple have agreed that all the money is to be considered “our” money, preventing any arguments as to whose money it is or what it should be spent on. My interpretation of the article though, goes much deeper. In my opinion, it is the trust and communication shared by this couple that has made their marriage so strong. Without unwavering trust, couples could not comfortably share access to every penny they have. Without great communication, one might wonder what their partner plans to do with the money they have unlimited access to, again leading to trust. In my own marriage, my husband and I have an agreement, that if either of us wants to spend more then $100 on something (other than groceries/bills), then we are to discuss the issue prior to making the purchase. This has worked out pretty well for us, however, might not be the solution for all married couples. As I pointed out before, I feel that the heart of the article is centered around trust and communication, without those two things, everything will fall apart.

Julie