It's great to read about so many happy healthy marriages. Here's another side. My marriage ended after 13 years. My ex-husband's parents divorced when he was 12 and he often said that his family life was like a train wreck. His parents fought constantly, and did so in front of the kids. He grew up feeling that disagreements indicated that something was terribly wrong with the relationship, and consequently we couldn't really discuss anything in a meaningful way whether or not in front of the kids. I think our divorce was a complete shock to our son who never saw us argue or even disagree. My parents disagreed a lot -- she's a democrat, he's a republican, and have been married more than 50 years, so my experience was totally different. Perhaps this is something that should be explored thoroughly before you get married. There definitely needs to be a healthy balance. Maybe it depends on the topics under dispute?