"Test Driving" a marriage

Found this article in the newspaper last evening.

"Test Driving" a marriage.

Does it work when couples live together before getting married?

More couples than ever are trying to "test drive" their marriages before tying the knot.They're convinced that this is a good way to find out if they're compatible,and will even improve their chances for success later on.

But the fact is,the opposite is true,Research shows that couples who live together before marriage have a 50 to 80 per cent greater chance of divorcing than tose who don't.They also have higher rates of domestic violence and infidelity.

In spite of this evidence,about 60 per cent of today's teenagers plan to live together and "test drive" their marriage before committing.Many have grown up in broken homes,and don't want to repeat the mistakes their parents made.

Nice idea,but they're going about it the wrong way.

The best approach is to simply get to know each other first-to date for at least a year before getting engaged,and then to sign up for some kind of pre-marital counselling.That's a better way to create a marriage that will last a lifetime!

By DR BILL MAIER