Randy’s Parents Celebrate 64th Anniversary

I wasn’t going to mention this but the more I thought about it the more impressive it is. My parents, on October 6^th, celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary being married in 1948. Most couples don’t stay together that long for a variety of reasons. Some die before they reach that milestone, some will get divorced before that milestone and some find they made a mistake and never make it together that long. Whatever the reason when a couple stays together that long you have to give them credit. These days it seems divorce is more common than ever.

The divorce rate around the country is split by regions, the Southern states with the highest divorce rate and the Northeast states with the lowest. According to the U.S. Census there are 10.2 divorces per 1000 men in the South and 11.1 per 1000 women, the Northeast has men at 7.2 per 1000 and women at 7.5 per 1000. The difference in the number of men and women is explained by women living longer and getting married more often. In Maine, part of the Northeast, there is a higher divorce rate than other states at 12 per 1000. One reason, according to the Pew Research Center is Mainers tend to marry younger and are working class people who tend to be more vulnerable to divorce. The national average for divorce is 9.2 for men and 9.7 for women.

Divorce is blamed on a number of things like the economy, women in the work force and the fact divorce forms are easily available, much easier today than in the past, and the cost of a simple divorce is fairly cheap usually $200 to $300. Seems these days when a couple stays together for 5 years its cause for celebration. When my parents reached number 64, I guess it was a big deal after all.