Is our "instant gratification" culture killing a couple's capacity to stay together for the long haul

My parents will be celebrating their 43rd wedding anniversary this November, and other than my best friend, I don't have any friends who's parents are still married to each other. 51% of adult women in the US are now living without a spouse. The divorce rate is the highest it's ever been, and the odds of you getting married and staying married to that same guy til death do you part are not in your favor. Why?

When I look back at my parents relationship, I can name at least two times when I thought for sure they would get divorced. I'm sure if you ask both of them they will tell you that there were probably dozens of times in 42 years of marriage when the conversation of separation came up. But, no matter how bad things were, my folks worked things out and not only are they still together after my Dad's 23-year Coast Guard career which had us moving every 3 years, 3 kids, 3 grandchildren, and over 4 decades together, they are happier and stronger than ever. But, in order to have what they have now, they had to go through some really tough times, the kind that break most couples up.

When I think about my parents and their secret sauce for marriage longevity, the key to their success has been patience. Yes, they communicate and take the commitment vow seriously but they are patient with each other, and wait a very long time before making any major decisions that will affect the family. Living in an instant gratification society, I often wonder how much the divorce rate and break-up rate would drop if people stopped focusing on "I can't wait. I gotta have my way now."

And, I'm not talking about couples who have been together 10 years or more or where there is some kind of abuse going on whether it be domestic or substance, I'm talking about your average couple who have been together less than 5 years, and want to bail because the relationship is not going the way or at the pace they wanted it to. The want to break up because their spouse is not living up to their immediate need for benefit. A relationship involves two human beings who are imperfect and grow and change.

Sometimes if you just wait things out and work on it, the situation can get better. An example is like adolescence. Parents don't give up on their kids just because they are going through 5-8 years of challenging self discovery and growth. What if people just had more patience with each other? I think we'd see more happier relationships that weather time.