Family Myths 101

Have you ever heard the sore throat remedy of honey and lemon??

Or maybe you are a firm believer in running your hands under cold water when you cut an onion to keep from crying? 

Where did these ideas come from?  

Are they valid?

The following are a few common  myths about marriage and the family that people have heard and some have come to accept:

Myth 1: Opposites attract- while some difference are inevitable in every relationship it is not common to talk your differences on your first date.  In fact we usually try to find and focus on interest or experiences that we share.  Research shows that those who are similar in social background, lifestyle, values, and interests are not only more attracted to each other but they last longer as well.

 Myth 2: A Good Sex Life Is the Best Predictor of Marital Satisfaction-  research and polls have shown that many people do get married for this reason, but a poll of 300 couples who had been married for 15 years or more brought light to the subject as they agreed that sex was not among the top 10 things contributing to the quality of their marriage.  while it was a part of these marriages they did not believe it a good predictor or even a major contributor to marital satisfaction.

Myth 3: Half of All Marriages End in Divorce- hard work has been put in recently to try and gather accurate information but experts have been running into issues gathering useful data.  Lets say we use the high marriage rate college town Rexburg, Idaho as an example.  If we were to gather information from the city on how many marriage licenses have been given, and then a year later or two or ten years later gather from the same city how many divorces there have happened in the elapsed time, would that give us accurate information?  Hopefully you can see how difficult it can be to gather this information.  While divorce rates have been rising as a nation we are still far from 50%.  Have hope!

Stop to think before you believe all that you hear.  While it is true that 100% of all people that drink water die, we should not be afraid to drink water.  The Family is of God