This week I was discussing The Barber of Seville with a class of grade 5 students. Most of them did not know what a dowry was. After explaining it to them one of the boys asked, "What would happen if they got divorced, would he still get all her money and stuff?". I told him that back then that divorce didn't happen very often. "Why?" I told them that marriage is supposed to be for life. "What?!" The class was totally shocked by this idea. "Why would you get married if you couldn't get divorced, that just doesn't make sense!" said one. "Well, I'm not ever getting married if you are supposed to marry for life" said another.
Wow. I know I sound old when I say this, but I've always viewed marriage as for life. When I was a kid very few of my classmates had parents who were divorced. In fact I'm pretty sure in my circle of friends that there was only one. But now, most of my students have parents who are divorced, or, who were never married at all. They have no memory of their parents ever being together. That's pretty amazing really. It really makes me wonder about where we are going. What kind of relationships will this generation have as we forge ahead?
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