I just got around to reading the Sunday Washington Post. (Hey, it takes some time!) And, you’ll never guess what I found. An article titled “Say Yes. What are you waiting for?”
Written by Mark Regnerus, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, the article positively waxes poetic about marriage, especially the younger kind.
He states that Americans really should go back to marrying young.
First, he lists reasons why people wait. For instance, perhaps the idea of losing one’s youth, freedom and the ability to “do as they pleased” – traditionally the male’s idea of marriage – has been adopted by women. (You betcha.)
Also, another reason he lists is that people are scared off from marrying too early because they have the notion that getting married young increases the likelihood of getting divorced. But, Regnerus says our notion is flawed. “Getting married too young” really means before age 20. Apparently marriages that begin between ages 20 and 22 are not nearly as likely to end in divorce as we think. (He may be right. Rather, I’m pretty sure if I had married whoever I was dating between 20 and 22 there is a fair chance I’d be in jail before divorced. They do that when you shoot someone who drives you positively crazy.)
The author then makes some pretty compelling reasons for getting married sooner than later.
One big reason is economics. Apparently, the ability to combine incomes, such as food, gas, electricity, etc. increases one’s personal wealth base. This is considered Very Important.
(He obviously has never lived with Husband. I am not allowed to touch Husband’s laundry. I’m not allowed to sneak in my Pilates clothes while he isn’t looking either. Water savings: None. Husband also insists on driving himself everywhere in case he needs to make a hasty escape from girl talk. Gas savings? Nil. And, I’ve already blogged about the two TVs. Read: too much electricity usage. So much for the cost savings.)
But, let’s say I followed the “perspective” this article offers. I probably could have found someone in my 20s to marry that I could live with. (Jail, notwithstanding.) According to the article, I guess I was wrong to wait for someone to marry with whom I could not live without.
It’s funny that the word “love” appeared just three times in the entire 1,466 word article. Hmmm.
He concludes the article with an anecdote about “Jennifer,” one of his students, who is marrying at age 23. He praises her for her forward-thinking. She feels “affection” for her fiance, and, why should she spend her youth bar hopping?
I, on the other hand, apparently wasted my youth travelling, building a career, developing a spiritual outlook, supporting friends and family, learning to dance, write, sing….oh, and visiting clubs and bars occasionally. I guess, it was all wasted because I was single doing it with the occasional boyfriend thrown in.
So, for the good of society, I suppose it’s better for young people to find someone they feel affectionate toward and just merge. It’s only we LBBs who foolishly hold out for true love.
Sorry. (Not.)
Recent Comments