Let me start out by saying, I don't believe in marriage. I know my boyfriend does. To me, marriage is a joke. Maybe that's why I'm so "meh" when I hear about divorces and cheating. It just doesn't bother me because how is a piece of paper supposed to stop anything?

So in my mind marriage isn't necessary to have children. Religion is moot to me and not a reason to get married.

If I were to get married, it'd be for my boyfriend because I know it means something to him. But before I would agree, I would want a baby first.

You see to me, starting a family is more of a commitment to love than marriage.

Women should consider starting a family first before getting married. Children and commitment show a lot about the person you will be with. Marriage can come later.

I'm not saying to run out and have kids with random dudes BUT, moving in, getting pets, and yes, having kids is more important to me than spending tons of money or signing a stupid piece of paper that really means nothing in the grand scheme of things.

I'm not slamming those who decide to get married first, but I think living together and being together in a serious capacity for a long time can tell you a lot about the person you are with. After a bit of living life together, it makes sense to think about children.

Being a parent can bring out the best and worst in people. It will reveal everything you need to know about someone. Once, I know what kind of parent my partner would be, I would then agree to marry the other person.

I hate marriage, it's true. But I love my boyfriend. I think he'd be a wonderful father to our children and that would be the only thing that would convince me to marry someone.

In the end, you'll do what you believe or what you feel but I want a child with my boyfriend. That's a real lifelong commitment that can't be shredded in a paper shredder but rather I want a human that would tie us together.

Besides, having a child is a real commitment I can get behind, unlike marriage.