Should You Marry Your High School Sweetheart?
Should you marry your high school sweetheart? The answer is…it depends. Here is a list of things to consider:
1.) How Old Are You Now?
A lot of change happens between 17 years and 25 years of age.
During these years, people move away from their parents, go to college, get jobs and start careers.
Along the way, they make new friends, experience new things, and date new people.
They find out what they like and dislike and they discover what they are good at doing and what interests them. If you’ve already been though this and both of you still want to marry each other, then go ahead by all means.
On the other hand, if you marry at 17 or 18, the success of your marriage depends on whether your life experiences and the maturation process cause you to grow apart or grow together. This is the risk you’ll have to assess.
Another factor is that the demands of married life may make it more difficult to go to college. Some couples don’t mind that one partner has to support the other while he or she is working on a degree. It helps if there isn’t a child to support and lifestyles are kept simple.
2.) Dealing With Personal Regrets
Are you sure you won’t regret not having had relationships with other people? Your youth is a period of life that you get never get back once you’ve passed it.
Many people thoroughly enjoy being single. It’s a time of freedom and of exploration. If you have any desires or ambitions that have nothing to do with marital bliss, getting married at a very young age may not be for you.
- The term teen marriage refers to marriage between two adolescents who are between 14 and 19 years of age.
- Half of teen marriages end in divorce within 15 years. However, some have lasted a lifetime.
- Because of increasing opportunities available to teens, the rate of marriage between teens in the United States is declining.
- Teen marriage is most widespread in isolated parts of the world where education is not commonly available.
- In forty nine of the fifty states in the US, teens under 18 cannot marry without parental permission.
- Because of tougher laws, marriage between two teens is getting increasingly difficult in many countries around the world.
3.) Are You Having Problems As A Couple?
If so, the stress on your relationship may get worse as you both grow and mature as people. Neither you nor your partner will be the same people at 25 or 30 that you are right now. If you start a marriage on shaky ground, it’s doubtful it will survive.
4.) Are You Afraid Of Being Single?
Getting married to avoid loneliness or to avoid the dating scene are poor reasons. Many people are afraid of facing the unknown, but again, this is not a good reason.
The points expressed here may not be what you wanted to hear, but if you are going to marry, you need to do so with both eyes wide open. It’s not all gloom and doom either. There are some very stable couples who married right out of high school. The cards lined up for them. Just make sure that they aren’t stacked against you.
If you’re interested in a proven method for winning back your ex, read my review of The Magic of Making Up.
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Comments on Should You Marry Your High School Sweetheart?
@john: People sometimes agree to break up nicely depending on their circumstances. Often people can’t get along for a variety of reasons and the resulting conflict is what breaks them up. Sometimes a person will breakup with their partner without an explanation and will say they only want to be friends or that they need their “space”.
If u r 13 do u think u’ll marry in the future?
Also how do people break up nicely if they r not gonna marry? Does it alwayz end up in an arguement?
@Brian: I don’t think you should get married if you are feeling this way. But that doesn’t mean you have to be in a hurry to end your relationship with her. It depends on what you mean by “what’s out there”. If you mean other women or living the single unattached life then you shouldn’t string her along and should be honest with her about this. If by “what else is out there” you mean life experiences that are different from what you’re doing now, these don’t necessarily have to exclude a relationship with your girlfriend. It depends on the details of what it is that you want to do. If you don’t know what you want to do (it’s just a vague notion), then there’s no point to ending the relationship now. Without any idea of what you want to do with your life, you may find that “what’s out there” is just “more of the same”.
A desire for exploration at your age is normal but there’s no need to get stressed about it. Take it one day at a time and let your interests and ambitions be your guide.
I was araid to enter a committed relationship with my girlfriend at the age of 18. we were together for 2 and a half years, an are currently on a break. we rarely fight and have very few problems with eachother. the only problem is, i dont know what else is out there. should i commit myself to this girl for the rest of my life, or should i break up an amazing relationship to see what else is out there? its a do-or-die situation and the stress is starting to get to me. any advice?