Category: Marriage/Family

Today, approximately 70% of couples live together before getting married, a significant increase from just 11% in the late 1960s. Individuals cite testing compatibility, easing the marital transition, sharing expenses, deepening intimacy, or convenience as reasons for moving in together. The appealing logic of cohabitation is, however, shallow. Couples who live together before they are married increase their risk of divorce.

Three distinct yet interconnected trends are shaping this transformation: the rise of “placeholder relationships” where partners serve as temporary emotional bridges rather than long-term commitments, evolving attitudes toward age gaps in romantic partnerships, and the unprecedented expansion of teen mental health support services, particularly in major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles.

arriage rates continue to decline, with every succeeding generation seeing lower marriage rates than the previous one. In a new report by Delano Squires and myself, Crossroads: American Family Life at the Intersection of Tradition and Modernity, we note that marriage used to be a common part of young adulthood, but that is no longer the case. Given the trends, researchers project that roughly one-third of Gen Zers will have never married by age 45 and may never marry at all.

The girlboss, anti-men, anti-family era sold us independence at the cost of connection. It’s time to admit the price was too high.

A decades-long study at Harvard likewise shows the quality of our relationships is the strongest predictor of health and happiness as we age. Connecting with teenagers, in particular, can give purpose to older people and perspective to younger adults and teens.

There is almost always a moment in a strained relationship that sounds like some version of this:

“You are making this a bigger deal than it is.” “You’re overreacting.” “Why are you making this a thing? Can’t you get over it?”

And underneath those words is something far deeper than the disagreement itself. It’s the quiet dismissal and rupture that communicates, “What matters to you isn’t important to me.”

If you have experienced this, you know how painful and frustrating it can be to be misunderstood or minimized in a relationship.

Have you ever been told that you are too needy by your partner? Learn why this may be happening and why the idea of ‘too needy’ is a myth.

Should a woman take her husband’s last name when she gets married? It’s a hotly contested question today, including this week where it’s been a particular topic of conversation on X. The Pew Research Center suggests that 79% of women take their husband’s last name. Yet while the debate over married names vs. maiden names still rages, online at least, it is rarely informed by actual data. Are couples in which the woman keeps her maiden name or chooses to hyphenate her last name systematically different from couples who share the husband’s surname?

We don’t need perfect love; we need responsive love.