Opinion: A Difficult Conversation - 'Failed' Marriage, Trudeau Split And The Family Oppenheimers

What is a failed marriage? The one that ends in separation and divorce or that which continues despite - and sometimes because of - either or both partners breaking the covenant?

Let me first admit that the word 'failed' has been used here as a clickbait. As my second and current husband once said-when I was dealing with the gut-wrenching experience of my 'failed' first marriage-there is no Nobel Prize yet and likely will never be for accomplishing the great task of staying married. Marriage doesn't merit signifiers of the success framework. The sooner we learn it, the better it is for everyone involved.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the end of his adult-18 years old-marriage with Sophie Gregoire Trudeau. His father Pierre Trudeau, former PM of Canada, also separated from his wife while in office. When such high-profile and seemingly 'successful' marriages end, they not only receive a disproportionate amount of attention but spawn a spate of comparisons.