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The Heart Beat: What Does it Mean to Ditch Your Wedding Ring?
MSN.com ^ | April 3, 2012 | Tue 6:20 PM | By Kristin Wong

Posted on 04/04/2012 11:36:32 PM PDT by thecodont

While most of the women I know wouldn’t stand for it, there’s been a lot of buzz around husbands opting not to wear their wedding bands.

According to some experts, people just don’t value the symbolism in a ring like they used to.

“I know I’m married, everybody else knows I’m married. I just don’t have no desire to wear it, at all.”

Richard Rhodes has been happily married for 15 years and says he hasn’t worn his ring since he tied the knot.

“I took it off right after the reception and I ain’t seen it since,” said Rhodes.

But the wedding ring is not just a symbol of love for married couples; it’s also an “off-limits” sign for singles.

Psychiatrist Gary Malone says that when a man decides not to wear his ring, it’s usually because he wants to “present himself as not married.” We didn’t need a psychiatrist to tell us that, but it helps.

“He gets all the payoff of presenting himself as single, while he actually gets the other payoff of having a wife at home,” Malone says.

(Excerpt) Read more at living.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Society
KEYWORDS: customs; marriage; weddingring; weddingrings; weddings
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To: octex

I made the mistake of wearing my ring during an 8-mile road march in the Fort Benning, GA, summer heat. My hands were very swollen by the end, and, despite my ring crushing my finger, I couldn’t get it off and had to just gut it out until the swelling died down.

After that, I NEVER wear my ring in a field environment or deployment. I just put it on my ID tag chain in my right pocket.


61 posted on 04/05/2012 6:08:32 AM PDT by Future Snake Eater (If we had a President, he'd look like Newt.)
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To: Salamander

And now we can stop wondering why you are “Salamander.” :)


62 posted on 04/05/2012 6:09:10 AM PDT by Lady Lucky ( Romney -- the pink slime of presidential politics)
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To: thecodont
I agree with the shrink, the only reason not to wear one is to be able to claim you’re single. The only reason you would want to do that is to cheat on your wife.

Projecting your own proclivities onto others, I see.

I have NEVER been able to wear jewelry of any kind, long before I ever got married; rings, watches, whatever. They drive me crazy.

I don't wear a wedding ring. Hasn't affected my behavior in the slightest.

63 posted on 04/05/2012 6:11:47 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Over half of U.S. murders are of black people, and 90% of them are committed by other black people.)
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To: thecodont
My husband and I both wear our rings everyday. We would never think of ditching them because to us, they are a symbol of our union and a remembrance of the day we put them on each others fingers. I do believe when a married person doesn't wear it (outside of a physical reason for not wearing it) it is to portray themselves as single.
64 posted on 04/05/2012 6:16:03 AM PDT by liberalh8ter (If Barack has a memory like a steel trap, why can't he remember what the Constitution says?)
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To: svcw

My truck driver father-in-law was exiting his truck and caught his wedding band between the cab and the door. He hung there momentarily until he could pull himself up by the other hand. It almost cut his finger off, and had to have the band cut off because of swelling. Needless to say, he never wore a wedding band again.


65 posted on 04/05/2012 6:28:54 AM PDT by Library Lady
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To: Salamander
I lost weight after I got married...

...and unlike most women, I hate wearing jewelry...

Your hubby is a lucky man. This is certainly NOT the norm.

66 posted on 04/05/2012 6:53:05 AM PDT by BlueMondaySkipper (Involuntarily subsidizing the parasite class since 1981)
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To: Windflier
Know a guy whose ring hung on a nail, with his finger in it...The part of the finger that the ring didn't take off, the doctor finished...

I've had my ring flattened...With my finger in it...

My wife stuck her hand into a machine and pulled it out, sans the diamond...She now wears a band...

Reality in the real world is perhaps a shock to some of you people...

67 posted on 04/05/2012 6:55:33 AM PDT by Iscool (You mess with me, you mess with the WHOLE trailerpark...)
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To: Brad's Gramma

I worked in a printing plant for several years. We were forbidden to wear any kind of rings or necklaces. Most just left there wedding rings at home. It was a pain to take it off for work everyday. Not hard to do, just hard to keep up with.

It didn’t have one damn thing to do with “presenting yourself as not being married”.

I’ve seen some pretty ugly injuries with wedding bands getting caught in various things. One of my buddies had his caught in a basketball goal on a dunk. Took all the meat off his finger. Broke it badly also.

If someone doesn’t care to wear their ring then if it’s ok with the wife shouldn’t it be ok with you? Or better yet, should it be any of your or anyone elses business?


68 posted on 04/05/2012 7:08:00 AM PDT by saleman (!!!!)
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To: Brad's Gramma
And YOU are a jerk. Single/married women on the prowl go after men WITH a ring. They are safe, no STD's, considered a good catch.
69 posted on 04/05/2012 7:13:57 AM PDT by trailhkr1 (All you need to know about Zimmerman, innocent = riots, manslaughter = riots, guilty = riots)
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To: Brad's Gramma
And YOU are a jerk.

Single/married women on the prowl go after men WITH a ring. They are safe, no STD's, considered a good catch.

70 posted on 04/05/2012 7:14:11 AM PDT by trailhkr1 (All you need to know about Zimmerman, innocent = riots, manslaughter = riots, guilty = riots)
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To: thecodont

Interesting topic...

My grandfather, father, and father-in-law never had a wedding ring, nor do I. All were married to their respective wives for over 50 years. My wife & I have 17 more to go to reach that milestone.

Before I got married, I had a conversation with my mother on this subject, and she told me that the practice of husbands wearing a wedding ring was a relatively recent (early 20th century) phenomena. I gathered from her that it was viewed and developed as “trendy” thing.


71 posted on 04/05/2012 7:15:30 AM PDT by VMI70
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To: Windflier
In my observation, people who don’t care one way or the other about their wedding bands, are also the type where the wife keeps her maiden name, or hyphenates her last name. Maybe she even goes by ‘Ms’ instead of Mrs. In other words, they’ve got a ‘progressive’ marriage.

I know numerous women in very loving, faithful and strong marriages who have kept their maiden name for various reasons. It's not that big of a deal.

72 posted on 04/05/2012 7:19:34 AM PDT by trailhkr1 (All you need to know about Zimmerman, innocent = riots, manslaughter = riots, guilty = riots)
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To: thecodont
My mechanic has his wife's name tattooed on his wedding ring finger. I've also seen “bands” tattooed onto the finger. Now that is dedication!
73 posted on 04/05/2012 7:22:01 AM PDT by Excellence (9/11 was an act of faith.)
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To: svcw

My husband quit wearing his wedding ring when he got it caught on some equipment and it nearly took his finger off. I don’t wear one because I end up taking it off all of the time. I’m a musician and play guitar and it gets in the way.

We still have our wedding rings (locked away for safe keeping) and have been married for over 31 years. We have had no problems identifying ourselves as married - with or without the ring. It is a symbol of marriage. It is not THE marriage.


74 posted on 04/05/2012 8:01:11 AM PDT by stansblugrassgrl (PRAISE THE LORD AND PASS THE AMMUNITION!!! YEEEEEHAW!)
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To: Windflier

Your premise is ridiculous.
Woman keep their maiden names for a variety of reason, like a professional degree in the maiden name.
In many cultures the husband takes the wife’s name.
Some cultures women would think it was silly to take the husband’s name.
In some areas of the word a new family name is given.
In my case I took my husband’s name because it was way more interesting than my ordinary maiden name.
My mother kept her maiden name because it was way more interesting that her married name would be.
I do find it interesting that you appear to attach “healthy” marriage to cultural symbols.


75 posted on 04/05/2012 8:04:17 AM PDT by svcw (If one living cell on another planet is life, why isn't it life in the womb?)
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To: stansblugrassgrl
It is a symbol of marriage. It is not THE marriage.

bingo!

76 posted on 04/05/2012 8:06:32 AM PDT by svcw (If one living cell on another planet is life, why isn't it life in the womb?)
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To: Iscool
Reality in the real world is perhaps a shock to some of you people...

Oh, stuff it. Yes, some people have accidents while wearing rings (and other jewelry). That in itself isn't a reason not to wear one. Hell, people get hit by cars just crossing the street every day. Should we all stop crossing streets because of that? Hilarious.

The article is about the question of whether the symbolism of the wedding ring is important any longer. Judging by the comments on this thread, it appears not.

77 posted on 04/05/2012 8:26:55 AM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: trailhkr1
I know numerous women in very loving, faithful and strong marriages who have kept their maiden name for various reasons. It's not that big of a deal.

Sorry, but is a very big deal. Taking the husband's surname as her own, cements the familial bond, and announces to the community that 'these people are now a unified family unit'.

If the woman has "various reasons" for keeping her maiden name that are more important than her marriage, then that just shows you where her priorities lie. I mean, what's the point of getting married, if you're going to retain your singular identity? May as well just shack up. You haven't really committed, in my view.

78 posted on 04/05/2012 8:33:18 AM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: thecodont

I have a wadding ring rarely wear it. I NEVER go to places where women of “Loose” repute hang out(Bars, Nighrclubs etc). I LOVE Being married and could NEVER even IMAGINE being with ANY other women besides my wife(of 25+ years)!


79 posted on 04/05/2012 8:40:17 AM PDT by US Navy Vet (Go Packers! Go Rockies! Go Boston Bruins! See, I'm "Diverse"!)
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To: US Navy Vet

Wedding


80 posted on 04/05/2012 8:40:48 AM PDT by US Navy Vet (Go Packers! Go Rockies! Go Boston Bruins! See, I'm "Diverse"!)
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