thoughts on engagements

Does anyone else think we've cheapened the value of an engagement?

It's not just a "Bachelor"-inspired insight: I'm 27, and I just realized I've witnessed nearly 10 broken engagements in recent years.

Of those, about half of the people involved are already engaged -- or married -- again.

As a little girl, I always imagined a broken engagement as some kind of scarlet letter -- you know, the kind of thing that would doom all your future relationships FOREVER.

While I've learned a permanent "gloom and doom" scenario is exaggerated, I do think a broken engagement should be viewed more seriously than what I've seen from many of my friends.

Here, Amelia of The Frisky talks about her own broken engagement and a growing refusal to believe that relationships require work.

Thoughts?