Editorial: Marriage sure can’t stop secretive ways

Tuesday, July 24, 2001 | 9:34 a.m.

It's often said that the key to a successful marriage is honesty. Well, a recent poll suggests that married couples aren't always that forthcoming: About 40 percent acknowledged that they keep a secret from their spouses.

So what's the top secret? Believe it or not, infidelity doesn't lead the list. According to the poll published in the August issue of Reader's Digest, nearly half of those who said they kept a secret said it dealt with the real price of something they bought. Yes, that's right, apparently men don't want to tell women how much they threw away on that brand new lawn mower and women don't want to share with men how much that new love seat actually cost. One wife gave this reason for concealing the true amount of her purchases: "I don't like to tell him how much I spend when I go shopping. I'm afraid he'll cut back on the budget."

Like the Central Intelligence Agency, marriage seems to be an institution full of secrets. We'd like to share with readers the remedy for this affliction, but we can't ... it's a secret.

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