Growing up in Germany I’ve been living in America for one and a half year and I honestly have to say that I got used to the culture, values and traditions pretty quickly.
But one thing I never understood and I’m still doubting about is why Americans get married with an age of 21 or even younger. In European countries and many other ones like China and Japan the average age of marriage is 30. There is a world out there, new things to experience and people to meet – so why settle down so early?
All of the American couple friends I made dated in High School and got married after College. They have been together for a couple of years and seem very happy with what they have in each other. They …show more content…
know each other well, enjoy their comfort in consistency and have history together. I personally doubt if they are just staying together because they are afraid of the unknown or do they think they’ll never find somebody better?
In my opinion you haven’t really experienced life when you go and settle down with somebody you met in High School.
In the High School age you are still trying to figure out who you are in life, develop characteristics and are very influential of others. So is it a good idea to decide who you are gonna spend the rest of your life with in a stage of age you are still trying to find yourself?
The twenties are dedicated to just you. You go out and travel, explore what you ever dreamt of and live your own life. Of course it is always challenging to be single and go on dates. No doubt about that! But being single and not “tied down” offer you experiences which enlarge your personal horizon immense. The kinds of different people you meet and experiences you’ll have, if bad or good, will help you figure out who you are and what you want in life and certainly in a relationship.
The biggest fear I had if I were married with 21 is what happens if you get divorced. You don’t know a life without the person you met as a teenager and probably can’t imagine anything like that. My personal conviction of not getting married at an early age doesn’t result of that, but it’s definitely scary to devote yourself to somebody in an age where you haven’t explored yourself. I’m personally convinced that I’ll find the right person to marry after intensely living my twenties. And that doesn’t mean that I just want to sleep around ;) I hope by that time I’ll definitely know what to expect from my
partner and be mature enough to decide who is the right one for me.
The intention of my opinion is definitely not to disrepect anybody’s lifestyle or marriage. If two people love each other and get married it is one of the most beautiful things! I personally doubt that it is a good decision to get married in an early age, but this is up to everybody themselves of course.