Let me tell you how dumb it is to get married at 22. I may have already lost some of you but bear with me. Because of the culture we live in, many girls want to be married and have like, two kids by the time they’re 25. I want to show you how serious marriage is and how it shouldn’t be used by girls as a flippant desire to save an already doomed relationship.
No one wants to be a divorcé(e) with one or two kids by the age of 25, but yet this happens to a lot of people who get married so early. Why does this happen? Perhaps a major reason for this is because you’ve felt pressured by your family and society to be married for years now.
“Are you dating someone?” “When are you getting married?” These questions have been thrown around at so many family gatherings that you feel that you need to be married to appease others, not because you love your partner and realize how much work goes into your relationship. Many young girls (men aren’t immune either) believe that a marriage heals or fixes a relationship, and this simply isn’t the case.
A marriage is a lot of work. Marriage isn’t the fairytale ending that you may think it is. Life gets complicated and so do relationships. Many girls look forward to the fairytale that is the wedding, but they do not realize that the work is just beginning with the wedding.
I’m sure all of us have heard the term “MRS Degree” thrown around casually in conversations here. If you prescribe to this mantra, shame on you!
A relationship should never be one-sided, and you are setting yourself up to be financially dependent on your husband. Does this not already sound like a terrible start to your happily ever after? What will become of you if he decides to leave you for his vixen of a secretary? A happy and functional marriage must be entered by two persons who are established – have some kind of career and sense of self.
Marriage is a serious venture and it does not, and should not, correlate with your sense of worth or your self-esteem. Hey, some people actually get married at 27 or later. Brace yourselves for this next line. Some people actually stay engaged for a year or longer, sometimes two. I know, it’s quite shocking to realize people actually do things differently from you.
Consequently, I’m not condemning anyone who gets married, however, I want to raise awareness to those who hadn’t thought it out completely. It’s a serious matter, considering about half of marriages in the U.S. fail these days. Some people get married early and lead happy lives. My main point is this: There is so much you could be doing other than playing house with someone you aren’t even meant to be with.
Carl Case is a senior psychology and Spanish double major from Brookhaven.
