Adultery Story Found One-Sided

“In France, Adultery Has a Certain Air of Je Ne Sais Quoi” (Jan. 26) had me pondering how news can present one side of an issue while hiding the ugly side that causes misery and unhappiness. Certainly adultery may be acceptable in France, but here in America our society is reeling from the effect of men and women in extramarital relationships.

We need look no further than the divorce statistics, with 1.1 million divorces granted in 1998 and with infidelity being the most frequent cause mentioned, to refrain from these attitudes.

In “The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce,” by Judith Wallerstein, Julia Lewis and Sandra Blakeslee, the authors followed the aftermath for children of divorce for 25 years and discovered “a whole generation left struggling to maintain a normal life while fighting the effect of their parents’ divorce.”

As a society, we should look instead to the causes of infidelity, such as poor role modeling, social influence, genealogical inherited traits and myths created to undermine marriage. It is only through extensive marriage education and positive growth between a man and his wife and the family unit that we can diminish the eroding influence of infidelity.

LILIAN GAFNI

Author, “Living a Blissful Marriage:

24 Steps to Happiness”

Rancho Palos Verdes

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You are totally out of sync. What makes you think all of us want to emulate French habits, including eating raw hamburger? We all do not have a love affair with France.

RAY AND YOLANDE D’ANDREA

Anaheim