This week Iwrote about Katy Perry’s new song, “Teenage Dream.” While not wanting to attribute any ill intent to Perry, I think the song’s lyrics say a lot about how we tend to view relationships and marriage as reflected by our current divorce trends and cohabitation practices.

Seems to me that a lot of us have bought into the teenage fantasy of escapism and running from problems rather than facing them. I don’t fault anyone for having that feeling of I-just-wish-I-could-run-away-and-start-over. I’m just saying that as adults we know that won’t do much for us; it won’t get us what we want. True love means sticking together and working through problems. Not a fantasy world in which everything is perfect or in which running away will help things.