I actually think that every marriage deserves that congratulatory "Wow! Way to go!" at times, although I must admit that I can't imagine saying that in the course of a casual conversation where, for example, a 5 year old relationship happens to be mentioned. But if longer-lasting marriages are becoming rare, then encouraging the newer couples to be proud of their marriage and to keep working to make it better should be something we do more often, and deliberately.
A year or five can seem like a veritable eternity to have made something hold together, while decades sometimes fly by, so I suspect that every marriage seems long from someone's perspective.
I actually think that every marriage deserves that congratulatory "Wow! Way to go!" at times, although I must admit that I can't imagine saying that in the course of a casual conversation where, for example, a 5 year old relationship happens to be mentioned. But if longer-lasting marriages are becoming rare, then encouraging the newer couples to be proud of their marriage and to keep working to make it better should be something we do more often, and deliberately.
A year or five can seem like a veritable eternity to have made something hold together, while decades sometimes fly by, so I suspect that every marriage seems long from someone's perspective.