It’s no secret that people in their 20s have a lot of big decisions to make. Most of them are freshly out of college, getting a full time job, or figuring out what they want to do in life. A lot of them aren’t worried about getting engaged, married, and starting a family. But why is there such a stigma against 20-somethings settling down?

Let me start out by saying that not everyone needs to get married at such a young age. There are several factors that can influence people’s decisions to get married, but it obviously doesn’t need to be for the wrong reasons either.

For someone like me, though, I have always been surrounded by family. While I was never close (at least distance-wise) to most of my family, I still grew up always being with my immediate family. Our holidays were centered around being together and cooking. Honestly, I just love being with family. It’s really one of the greatest things I enjoy about life. One of my greatest dreams is to have those days and have several people in my home, cook a lot of food, and just enjoy life together.

My family raised me to be a decent adult. There was never an expectation of only being a housewife. But I do know how to take care of a household. There will be things I can’t learn until I’m actually married, and that’s a given. But I don’t mind taking care of myself and my own apartment, so why should that part be any different for my spouse?

If you’re invested in a relationship, it’s likely you already share some expenses together. Sometimes it feels like you already do and spend so much together. If you’re already spending a lot of resources between each of you, it can be much more practical to share everything together. Now, it shouldn’t be the main reason, but if financial responsibility is a concern, then it might be a good idea.

These things are much more practical, now on to the personal things.

I love the thought of getting to marry someone that I get to do almost everything with. Sure, we need our time alone. But getting to do a lot of “firsts” with someone I love is a dream of mine. What better way to do adult things in your life than with someone you love? I’m not saying it is totally impossible to be an adult on your own. But if you can do stuff together with someone you love, why wouldn’t you?

I’m a firm believer in your spouse needing to be your best friend. I think it’s important for the health of the relationship as well as for bonding purposes. Why wouldn’t you want to live life with your best friend? Being home and just watching a movie and cooking dinner is one of my favorite past times with my boyfriend. Simply being in each other’s presence should make you feel safe and happy.

For me, I have never been a person to go out a lot. It's not that I hate doing things, but I do like staying at home. I like doing more simple things such as just cooking a meal together. I know I'm in the minority for this, but I have never felt the need to "live it up" or go out and accomplish several things before I can settle down.

Certainly there are so many other things that influence what really makes a marriage, and this isn’t where the list ends. But I think there shouldn’t be as much of a stigma against younger people wanting to be married. If you’re confident in your choices and love your spouse, then do what you think is necessary. Don’t be afraid to go against what culture says. Love who you love, work at it, and the rest will work out as it needs to.