How To Avoid Marrying A Jerk

The divorce rate in this country is skyrocketing because not enough people know how to avoid marrying a jerk. A jerk can be either male or female. Gender isn't what makes a jerk a jerk; it's behavior. Nobody, man or woman, is immune to marrying a jerk.

1. Think long and hard before getting married. While it may seem elementary to think about marriage before actually doing it, you may be surprised. The increase in divorce rate is due in part to couples getting married before they're ready. How are you supposed to know you're marrying a jerk if you're willing to marry them before you really know each other?
2. Look at how their family acts. Sometimes, one of the best indicators of future behavior is how a person's family acts. If your honey comes from a whole family of jerks and doesn't seem phased by it, chances are good that he or she is going to wind up being a jerk. People learn what they know, plain and simple.
3. Observe your sweetie in everyday situations. If the object of your desire blows a gasket when the waitress accidentally gets their order wrong, there is cause for concern. The same goes for the way they treat their co-workers and any people in the service industry, such as hair stylists, cleaning people, etc.
4. Live together before getting married, if possible. If co-habitation doesn't violate your beliefs at all, go ahead and take the opportunity to live with your significant other before the big day. Doing so will give you a pretty good idea of what being married to them will be like. Co-habitation will take away any misconceptions you may have had before. Does he/she make huge messes with their belongings and expect you to clean up after them without so much as a thank you? Does he/she itemize every single cent spent in the household and become very particular about money? If so, then those behaviors won't change after marriage.
5. Think realistically about behaviors you don't like. If your honey has a way of doing things that drive you up the wall, it won't magically stop when you get married. The same also applies for the way you two argue. If your sweetie has a way of blowing things out of proportion and generally makes your life miserable when you two fight, that's a sign. Just be sure to keep in mind--look before you leap.