The Britney Effect

This marriage many felt was doomed from the start - largely due to the track record of the man Britney chose. Kevin, the father of two children already by a girlfriend he left for his current wife, seemed less than ready. I shook my head because I felt marriage was once again being taken lightly.... as if a faithful commitment to honor someone and form a family can be treated like some kind of version of "going steady". It is not something to be taken lightly and it's too easy in this case to feel like it has been.

I do not know the details but I get the feeling Britney was hopeful and wanted shelter and security from her intensely scrutinized celebrity life.

Kevin never seemed like the rock that wouldn't crumble and maybe the media, in part, is to blame for that.... us included.

It is commonly accepted that Britney and Kevin signed a pre-nup. To me that is nothing more than a contract for inevitable divorce.

By contrast, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon splitting is sad because I know Reese a bit and she is a warm person and great mother. To me she is an earnest woman defined by faith and her pain is shared by all who are married.

I hate to admit this but Hollywood puts out too much bad energy into the world too often. To be sure, most people in this town and everywhere else enter into marriage thoughtfully, try hard, and for some unpredictable reason, it falls apart. And there are lots of other wonderful things happening in this town all the time - creativity, art...powerful, impactful stuff, but the values that reflect the best in people and families aren't on display nearly enough.

Life is a marathon. If your first marriage is annulled after 55 hours and your second barely makes it two years....stop, grow up and wait till you know you are ready. As for Kevin, I think there is a lot of growing up to do. It's unfortunate it has to happen while he's responsible for the development of four young children.