Valentine's Day is here and we all know what that means. Some people are planning, and pinning, thoughtful homemade presents for their significant others. Others are making plans with their friends to see the upcoming “Fifty Shades Freed” movie. The rest probably don’t really give a damn about it, whether they have someone to share the day with or not.
Personally, I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships, mine in particular. I got engaged when I was 18 and married when I was 20. Some people might say that young marriage is a little silly or, dare I say, irrational.
Well, they might be right.
In fact, here are five negative comments that I have heard about young marriage that are 100% true.
1. "Getting married young is like leaving the party at 9:30"
You know, leaving the party doesn’t sound so bad when you are leaving with your best friend to go get ice cream and finish watching that "Game of Thrones" episode.
2. "It's ridiculous to not be able to drink at your own wedding"
Agreed! It was RIDICULOUS that my husband and I couldn’t take a tiny sip of champagne that, in my opinion, is a bit nasty anyway. We didn't have an open bar but had a simple selection of tea, lemonade, and water (which was probably a lot cheaper). Except people must have thought it was crazy that there weren’t any belly shots or keg stands.
And honestly, shots with grandma would have been a picture perfect moment and it’s ridiculous that we all missed that.
3. "You won't be able to have normal college experiences"
This one kind of depends on your definition of “college experience.” I haven’t joined a sorority, I don’t have coffee dates with different guys I met from class, and I don’t go to that many school events. This seems to make up a lot of the symbolic college experience. I’m still in college yet after class I go home and then relax with my little family that is made up of my husband and fur babies.
Does painting my cheeks with school colors and going tailgating sound fun? Sure! But I wouldn’t trade my own not-so-typical college experience for anything.
4. "You don't know who you are as a person yet"
This is correct too! Being a naive 20-year-old, I didn't know what it took to raise a home or how to live with someone as a partner rather than just a roommate. As we have grown together there have been fights because sometimes I get a little sassy, but there have also been triumphs. For example, I’ve learned not to be such a lazy potato and he’s learned how to put ingredients together and make an actual meal! Gold star for adulting I would say!
5. "You will never have alone time anymore, they will always be there"
Yes... They are there quite frequently. When you actually like the person you are marrying then that’s not such a bad thing! But we did not get medically joined at the hip. He goes on hunting trips and I go on little vacations to see my side of the family.
We enjoy being together because we love each other and all that jazz, but we also have our own hobbies. I would even say having a hobby helps create a healthy relationship. So, learn how to knit or get into a sport because holding onto someone's leg and crying that they can't leave might only be cute if you are under five years old.
So, if you are someone who is young, in love, and on a seemingly irrational fast track to matrimony, you might have heard some of these things. Do they bother you? Maybe they do at first, but eventually you kind of just have to be like some people on Valentine's Day and just not give a damn.