If someone had asked me this question even five years ago, my answer would have been, ‘of course.’
My answer as of today is that it probably won’t exist as it does today. Why?
Society as we know, is quickly changing; moving faster with easier access to media and communication tools. This ease and accessibility opens doors, allowing people to feel more confident in their desires and in what they want and need out of life.
Many couples today stay together for the financial and contractual aspects that make having a family and a home easier to obtain and maintain.
If you remove the fears and obstacles of the traditional paper marriage with tools such as pre and post nuptial agreements and/or co-habitation agreements, that is a first huge step. Add to it the governments growing understanding of domestic partner policies for not only health and life insurance but extended joint access to smaller yet just as important policies for home and auto insurance the paper marriage starts to dissolve in its necessity.
Being a family unit will no longer be defined by a piece of paper as to what will constitute the future of marriage.
A friend of mine once said they envisioned a life of three marriages. We were 16 at the time and I laughed, but maybe as a child of divorce they had a different kind of insight. One for love, (that first true love) one for money (the business of raising kids, mortgage and managing life/work) and one for ‘life’ (retirement, relishing the fruits of a lifetime of labor). Now that I look back, were these so off base?
Finding the one soul partner that can fulfill all of those roles is hard enough, with the invent of ‘Tinder,’ ‘Snap Chat’ and frankly ‘Ashley Madison’, the future of monogamous long lasting relationships that result in life times of marriage may not be the evolution of today’s marriage system.
I am not a pessimist when it comes to relationships, life and love but proper preparation will be the wave of future marriages. Maybe the term ‘conscious uncoupling’ will be more ‘conscious coupling’ where a family isn’t based on old traditions that had more to do with land, property and regal gains, rather it will be more about what makes us ultimately happy with those we love and spend time with everyday. That means your children, your friends and most importantly- you.
For more information on pre and post nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, mediation and divorce issues call the Law Office of Steven B. Chroman at 661-255-1800 or visit www.chromanlaw.com.
This article was originally published in Santa Clarita Magazine as part of our firm’s mission to make family law information more accessible to the Santa Clarita community. Read the full feature and others at santaclaritamagazine.com.