What went wrong…

In Chapter 5 of Pamela Paul’s book The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony, Paul recites reasons given by several of the people she interviewed explaining why they felt their starter marriage fell apart.  These reasons include:

– I wasn’t ready for marriage

– I thought marriage would change things

– I thought he would change

– We had different ideas about marriage

– Money was a major issue

– We couldn’t communicate

– She didn’t know how to compromise

– Our relationship was completely unequal

– I got depressed

These are common reasons for the breakdown of a marriage, no matter the length of the marriage.  But I imagine that not being ready for marriage and having different ideas about marriage would be more prevalent in people in their twenties, then people who got married later in life.

Do any of these reasons explain the demise of your own starter marriage?  What factors do you think led to the end of your starter marriage?  I loved to hear your story.