I was shocked when I read the column that started, "the conjugal bedroom is sooo last year".

Huh?

The column goes on to explain that the trend is for couples to have "adjoining bedrooms within the master suite".

What?

First I'm told that the trend is for men to no longer sleep with their wife and now we're all supposed to have a "master suite"?   Holy cats, what's going on and who decides that this is a trend?  Is this one of the same type of fashion person who decided that heroin sheik was sexy a few years ago?  This is inane.

I suppose it could be argued that we're getting back to traditional values.  Back in the renaissance, men and women had separate bedrooms and the man only showed up in the womens bedroom when he wanted a little action.  (Cue Marvin Gaye's "Let's get it on"…)

If this is a trend, and not just a ridiculous farce as I hope it is, it would be a sad commentary on where we're going as a society.  In the middle of the night, when I can't sleep, I like to be able to reach out and touch or hold my wifes hand.  I imagine it will be just as nice when we're in our 70's or 80's.  To reach across the bed and know she's not there just would seem wrong.  All married couples take the "for better or worse" vow but to not have your spouse next to you would seem to me that you pulled the short straw and got "worse".

But just when you thought marriage is doomed, there is another trend which I'm all for.  In fact, I've already done it.  Renewing your vows.

After ten years of marriage, my wife and I had a little anniversary party over at Bucca's where we invited a bunch of close friends.  During the dinner I mentioned casually, but so all at the table could hear, that I would marry her again but, I asked, would she marry me again.  Of course she said yes.  On cue, a friend of mine who is a Judge came in.  "Huh, as luck would have it, here's Judge ___" I said.  (name omitted)  So we renewed our vows.

That's the sort of thing that people need to do — not find ways to be further apart.  Tenderness, caring and a little romanticism goes a long way to creating a strong marriage.