In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day we celebrate marriage and encourage the building of strong marriage relationships.  Marriage goes beyond the man and woman united in matrimony; it matters within our communities and families.  Marriage provides social and economic stability for the young, old, children and the elderly.  Divorce and families created without the benefit of marriage let a void that government tries to fill; but it’s methods require intrusion into people’s wallets and private lives, while undermining the family structure.

Marriage is a beneficial institution for each spouse.  Research shows that marriage makes people happier, live longer, and experience more economic security.  And yet, marriage is a failing in the United States and around the world.  In 1970, 78% of all US adults were married.  In recent years that dropped to less than 60%.

What of daughters with missing fathers?  Half of all girls have no father in their lives.  Over 75% lost their father through divorce, abandonment, or estrangement.  And the results?  More depression, more obesity, eating disorders, more addiction, earlier sexual activity, and lower school performance.  Teens are 70% more likely to become pregnant if they don’t have their father in the home.

Fathers teach by word and action how women should be treated.  Without that relationship young women have more difficulty establishing loving relationships, trusting the opposite sex, and creating stable homes for their own children.  And the benefit of an in-home father transcends perfectionism.  Neither money nor social status is as influential in producing well-adjusted girls as the consistency of their father being there.  Presecne alone makes the most difference.

Children with married parents do better in school.  Children with married parents live in less poverty than their peers.  Children of married parents experience fewer mental health issues.  The list goes on and on.

Therefore, a stable society depends upon marriage as a foundational building block that provides commitment and care, as well as a heightened sense of purpose and belonging to spouses who together train and influence the next generation.  Marriage is worth the work of learning and implementing good relationship skills for both you and your children.  If you are struggling, there are many resources available to help you rebuild or strengthen your marriage.  Visit NationalMarriageWeekUSA