Is there anyone in the world who is surprised that the "marriage" between Britney and Kevin would (gasp!) last? Granted, it lasted longer than the 56 hours her first marriage lasted. Her soon to be ex is hawking a "video" he made of their honeymoon and she's concerned it will "tarnish" her good girl image. What!?! She has a good girl image? Are you serious?

I don't follow pop culture any longer and really have no interest in this girl, except for the fact that my friend Angie and I were discussing the lack of commitment a lot of couples have today in their marriages. It is too easy for people to just discard their vows like yesterdays news (which is where Britney Spears came into the conversation).

Now, to be fair, I think the a large portion of the problem stems from the fact that people begin with the end in mind. Meaning, they are already thinking, "If this doesn't work out, then I can always get a divorce"...why would you even get married if that was your mindset?!?! Our society has made it so easy for people to get divorces that very few American kids know what it's like anymore to have parents that stay together forever, or at least until one of them dies (and I'm not talking about from boredom). Before I get a ton of hate mail, I am divorced. I was married at a young age and it was a huge mistake, because I wasn't ready mentally or spiritually to make the decision to commit my life to something like that.

People are sold this fantasy of what marriage is...they must think it's easy. When my husband and I got married, it was in front of a JP. He was very to the point - "You know this isn't going to be easy, right? You have discussed your views on sex, kids, money, parenting and other important issues, right? Because if you haven't, I'm not going to marry you today. I'm not going to have another statistic in my courtroom...I don't want to see you two walking in here in ten years to undo what you've done up today. It's not always going to be fun - you know that too, right? You, sir, understand that there will ALWAYS be women more beautiful? You understand that if I marry you, you must take it seriously - it's a covenant with God Almighty (yes, he really said that) and you are not only beholden to each other, but to God as well?"

Recently, I had the thought that most people ought to have marriage licenses that work like their driver's licenses. They have to renew them every 8 years or so. It would drastically reduce the amount of divorces we see, don'tcha think? Or, if they want a new partner, all they have to do is go down to the courthouse and apply for one, stating they "lost" their old one, pay a small fee, and it's over and done with and they don't have to think about it for another 8 years. On second thought, that might be too long...