Mediate Michigan

“If it’s your first marriage, you’ve got a 50-50 chance,” Doyle Hamilton said, looking around the room. “If it’s your second, you’ve got less than that.”

A few couples shifted uncomfortably under his unwavering gaze. One woman kicked her fiancé under the table.

“The No. 1 indicator of divorce is not conflict,” Hamilton continued. “The No. 1 indicator of divorce is the AVOIDANCE of conflict. Marriage is hard work. We want you to program that into your brains.”

If it sounds like an intro speech at boot camp, there’s a reason. Hamilton, a pastoral counselor and family therapist, was preparing these eight engaged couples for the rest of their lives together. And he wasn’t about to soften the facts.

via Engaged couples fight divorce rates – CNN.com.