A feature of many traditional religions is that they will not
marry people who haven't first completed a marriage preparation
course of counseling. This is an old fashioned idea, but one
that has a lot of merit. Marriage preparation is a sort of
pre-emptive marriage counseling - the aim is to make sure that
there aren't unresolved issues that may endanger the marriage in
the longrun, and to offer advice and instruction about how to
communicate in a marriage partnership.
Nowadays, people are starting to opt for marriage preparation
once again, maybe in an effort to 'beat the statistics' and
avoid falling prey to marriage breakup. It is in everyone's
interest to give their marriage the best chance they possibly
can. For most of us, this means being prepared for issues that
may come up in the future, making sure that you and your future
spouse share common goals, and just building communication
skills. Any issues that are coming up before the marriage should
be resolved now, before they get the chance to get out of hand.
Modern marriage preparation does not have to be affiliated with
any religion - in fact, it often isn't. That having been said,
there are many couples who opt for traditional marriage
preparations, such as that offered by the Catholic church. Of
course, in the Catholic religion, when a couple gets married
they are expected to stay married - there is no divorce. This
puts a different perspective on marriage preparation. As well as
religious instruction about the significance of marriage,
couples are offered coping skills that will help them to stay
together. If you aren't religious, you may, of course, benefit
from the same sort of preparation and counseling. Before
embarking on a marriage, it is important to have a solid grasp
of what marriage will mean in your life, and to make sure that
your potential spouse shares many of the same ideas and goals.
Too many couples end up in marriage counseling or therapy when
they feel that the marriage isn't working - in fact, it may
already be falling apart. Marriage counseling at that point can
still be valuable, but in a sense, it's like shutting the barn
door after the cows are out! Marriage preparation is a valuable
step that lets you be sure of what you're doing.
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