Reply #13: About the Same here [View All]

[NeedleCast]

and it's not the just the guys in lots of cases. I was at happy hour with a few buddies last night and the married guys (and girl) uniformly talk about nothing but their marriages and how much they hate them (one of the guys got in a big fight with his wife over the phone while we were there). Half my peer group (I'm 34) is divorced. Some are divorced more than once. The oldest guy that regularly hangs out with us is 37 and twice divorced with four kids. Dude makes 80K a year and is ass-broke because all his cash goes to paying child support. He bitches about it constantly, but ultimately, I can't help but think it's at least 50% his fault.

I just never have had any desire to be married, although as a single guy (and the last male member of my family) the pressure is fairly constant and honesty, from strange sources. My mom and dad actually don't give me much grief about it. At company or other "couples" parties you constantly get asked "so where's your wife?" and I tell people who already know that, believe it or not, I'm not married and don't want to be. Strange looks from people who know you are over 30 and not married. It's like they want you to come share in their misery. My extended family is large and matriarchal. I have two aunts, two uncles...all married with at least three kids each. Most of my cousins (age 36 to 20) are married (including the 20 year old). Of the married cousins, most have children. I just never got it. I can look back and say I have really, truly enjoyed my life and am a happy bachelor.

This is all not to say that I don't know some people who are happily married, but they seem few and far between.