Courtship: working towards marriage

Courtship is a relationship between man and woman with the main objective of studying and knowing each other in order to take decision on marriage. It's duration varies from three to six months onto two or five years depending on when the couple involved feel they know each other enough to get married.

Some marriages hit the rocks few months or years after society weddings. People wonder if there was no courtship before such marriage took place, others imagine that the period of courtship was not long enough. Yet many more would argue that the couple pretended to each other while courting. Perhaps because truth can not hide for too long, it manifests itself shortly after marriage because a battle field sooner or later.

What should be the ideal period of courtship?

This varies with couples. For some people a few months of courting is enough to end in marriage that lasts until death separate them.

Some courtship lasts five times longer than the actual marriage between the same couple it may be appalling but the answer is simple, it is not the duration of courtship that saves a marriage but understanding, tolerance and love of the people involved.

It is natural that many people are extra careful during courtship and they relax after marriage this creating room for clumsiness and other vices to manifest themselves. If people do not allow their emotions to control them during courtship, they may not find their spouse completely different after marriage when emotions make objective assessment of one's spouse impossible during courtship, the essence is defeated.

An objective scrutiny of a spouse's character during courtship makes people surer and more confidant in their choice of spouse.

A husband or wife should be able to tell what the husband or wife can or cannot do in his or her absence. It is the confidence and trust built during courtship that makes it possible for people to talk on behalf of their spouse. For those who did not make use of their courtship period it is hoped that they can now adjust and advise the younger ones on how to manage a courtship, it could save many marriages from divorce.