From High School Grads to Husband and Wife

They walked off the stage at graduation and than down the aisle

We’ve all had that sudden shove into adulthood when we get the shocking news that an old friend from high school is getting married. The first reaction is denial; maybe that gold plated invitation with their names engraved in solid granite is just a type-o.

After the initial panic, we often wonder why this person, who was complaining about her mom’s cooking the last time you saw her, is free falling into the world of adulthood, and by adulthood I mean extreme responsibilities and a lot less fun.

In a few weeks I’m heading to a wedding, the bride and groom are both people I went to high school with. Naturally I’ll be stuck at a table full of people I haven’t seen in years I’ll have to manage a gentle way to skirt around the even bigger issue, “Don’t you think they’re too young for marriage?”

It’s hard not to ask this question considering some of my friends their age aren’t even capable of having healthy relationships with their house plants.

I understand the pressure. Just the other day my landlord asked me when I planned on getting married-yes my landlord! I never know exactly how to respond. But then again, why should I explain why I'm not married at the age of 21. I think 21-year-old brides and grooms should explain themselves first.

I hear people say all the time, “My Grandparents got married when they were 20 and they’ve been married for 50 years” But how can we compare a couple that tied the knot during the roaring 20’s to relationships nowadays, considering how so many things have changed. Many couples live together for years before they marry, unlike in the 50's and 60's when it was taboo. Not to mention woman are joining the workforce and are no longer expected to stay at home and raise the children.

Hre's a myth debunker to think about, many people, argue that couples who get married in their early 20’s have the highest divorce rates, but according to the New York Times, divorce rates have been raising since the 1950’s and age has little to do with it.

Most of my friends who are married or engaged argue that they are in love, and they shouldn't have to wait to get married.
Maybe it’s the abstract ideas of what it is to be young and what it is to be a mature adult that construes such controversy.
In the words of Albert Einstein “Life isn’t worth living, unless it’s lived for someone else”.
Perhaps being grown up happens the day you begin living your life for someone else, and that’s the day you truly begin living.

But if you do decide to marry young don’t be fooled into thinking your life won’t change, being a 19-year-old bride may have its consequences; apparently a wedding ring is a downer at parties.

Being young and married means you’re usually cast off into a social wasteland. Let’s face it, there is a place for crazy college kids, usually a small gross apartment, and a place for the married couples with kids, usually a home-depot.
Check out this story of a girl who became a social outcast after she got married.

In the end perhaps it’s better to get married to the right person at the wrong time, than wait for the right time to marry the wrong person. It all depends on how you look at it. But I'm not doing it!