Mixed Marriages

D. E. Larsen, DVM

My first attempt at a little humor.

D. E. Larsen, DVM

People and families have dealt with mixed marriages for eons. The first thing that comes to mind when one brings up the topic is the marriages of mixed races. Some of the first mixed-race marriages in this country were between the Mountain Men of the early Western Frontier and their American Indian wives. Since those early days, there have been many other racial mixes. Nowadays they are just about too numerous to list. 

    Mixed marriages between individuals of different religions are also commonplace and as cultures co-mingle, these continue to increase. Christian and Jews, Catholic and Protestant, Christian and Buddhist, Christian and Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu and the lists go on, even to throw an Atheist into the mix.

    All of these mixes bother others far more than they bother the couples in the mix. The couples usually have minor accommodations to make to one another and once those are sorted out their problems are over.  As the population becomes more diverse, children of the mixed marriages have virtually none of the issues that children of mixed race or cultures had to deal with in the past.

    There are other mixes that are more difficult for couples to cope with in their daily lives. I would guess that most of these are just pushed aside by one of the partners and life goes on.

    There is a mix, however, that is virtually never discussed, either before marriage or after marriage. It is a mix that adds stress to the daily life of the involved couples and their families.  It causes untold financial expense for the family. It confuses children as to which side should they chose. It hangs over the dinner table like a thick fog every day. At lunchtime, it can start an argument, leaving the couple frustrated and feeling there is no resolution. Accommodation by one partner or the other seems impossible. Large family gatherings and Holiday meals are times of great stress.

    I tried to warn my son so he would not repeat the same mistake made by me nearly 50 years ago. But like all young people, he had to make his own mistakes.

    “How can I even bring the subject up for discussion?” He asked.

    “Just look in her damn refrigerator,” I said. “Is it Best Foods or Miracle Whip?”