Relationship Agreements

It is unusual for me to read something new about marriage or divorce but what caught my eye in the May 22, 2012 article about the wedding of Mark Zuckerberg to Priscilla Chan was the line that said, “In fact, given that Ms. Chan reportedly asked Mr. Zuckerberg to sign a relationship agreement before she moved to California several years ago to be with him — outlining issues like how much time they should spend together” See full article at  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/technology/zuckerbergs-property-status-post-marriage.html?smid=pl-share  Perhaps, more later about all the community property issues.  But back to relationship agreements.  I had never heard of them.  I Googled.  It was popularized by the TV Show, “Big Bang Theory.  It was the agreement  Sheldon drew up after he and Amy became boyfriend and girlfriend. I can’t find the origin. More about the agreement or contract at http://relationshipcontract.net/RelationshipContract.html where they  say  “the purpose of this contract is to provide an alternative for couples who want to make a commitment to each other that is more than the choice of living together and not as final as marriage with an ‘Until death do us part’ promise. The two most important and unique ingredients of this agreement are the semi-annual question and answer session and the choice of a specific time frame for partners to agree to be together. You can enter into this agreement as a test prior to a marriage decision, or choose this alternative to commit to a partner for a specific time frame. Couples that are already married are encouraged to use this agreement’s key ingredients to further develop their relationship. This agreement is a tool to communicate, as well as a symbol of your commitment.”

It is similar to the agreement we do when we do Marital Mediation and it in many ways it is like the Jewish Ketubah.  It is also a natural extension of premarital counseling which I am a strong advocate of.  It is also similar to the contract we prepare when we do when we do Marital Mediation. 

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