Preparation for Marriage and Parenthood

Abstract

O NE of the phenomenal developments in American higher education in the last two decades is the growing demand for academic courses in marriage and family-life education. More and more citizens and students, as well as teachers and school administrators, are forming opinions and taking a stand for or against this trend. Among those who have definitely made up their minds, the proponents are greatly in the majority. Most of the opposition is passive. It arises primarily from the hesitancy to accept anything new, particularly in the field of human relations, regardless of its worthiness. The majority of those who favor this movement accept it because of the fundamental belief of the American people that education is beneficial to the individual and to society. If we had only these two groups and these two philosophies to take into consideration, there would be, over a period of time, no really serious difficulties in the establishment of a sound academic curriculum in preparation for marriage and family life. The real danger to the establishment of an effective program arises from the actions and attitudes of the extremists. On the one hand there are those who see absolutely no good in this kind of education, and on the other there are those who look upon it as a solution for most of the ills of marriage and family life. These ardent proponents of marriage and family-life education, are unwittingly their own worst enemies. They may place the movement in great jeopardy because they hold forth false hopes that can never be fulfilled. The pitfalls both of unreasoned prejudice and of foolish enthusiasm arise primarily from misconceptions of what can and what cannot be accomplished. The greatest misconception is the belief that a college course can ensure, or that it purports to ensure, a successful marriage. Since the sciences of human behavior have not progressed as far as the science of medicine, this expectation is even more unreasonable than it would be to demand that a doctor ensure the good health of an individual ten or twenty years from now, or even predict the time and cause of his death. The great service that has been rendered to society by modern medicine is primarily to prevent, and secondarily to cure, diseases and disabilities. The science of medicine has performed a great service by increasing our chances of a longer and healthier life. It is also instructive to remember that the greatest advance