Skylar
Diamond Member
- Jul 5, 2014
- 52,660
- 15,670
Marriage was never a contract between adults for the benefit of children. Children were never more than the result of men and women coupling.
Originally the marriage contract was the physical manifestation of peace agreements and trade treaties. Then marriage was a way to amass fortunes. Far from being a beneficiary of a contract beween a loving mother and father, girls were items of barter. With the consolidation of money and power came the protection of that money and power by primogenenture. The eldest son inherits everything. Far from being the beneficiary of a contract beween a loving mother and father, subsequent sons were worthless. Most of the time a caring mother might protect a juvenile. Once an adult second sons were normally cast out.
That's historically. Today, children are not only not part of a marriage contract, but contracts like pre nups and the like don't mention children at all. Children are raised by single parents that have never been married, divorced parents, same sex family members and same sex couples.
In Europe, somewhat ahead of the curve, most children don't live in families at all. They are raised by a single mother with transitory father figures which may be male or female. Marriage is just not that popular.
Its safe to say that marriage has many roles, many bases, many definitions over time. Making any argument that marriage comes in only one flavor and that flavor is absolute an act of desperate, willful ignorance.