Tuesday, August 29, 2006

The Best Age to Say, "I Do".

The Romeo and Juliet story kind of inspired young and old alike to the point that many would-be-couples believe that love is always something to be fought for. It is not. At least not always. Situations vary. Everyone of us is unique. There are so many factors to consider before coming up to a conclusion and say "this is really it."


Teens, nowadays, are so starry-eyed when it comes to love. Must I say, they have become too venturesome about it? …about experiencing it. Well, experience is the best teacher, ok. Only, most are becoming too audacious that they don't anymore think ahead. They don't try looking at the big picture anymore. They just go and attack without weapons. A sad truth.

Though, they might not see it the way I see it, I think it is something that has to be thought about shrewdly. People differ in the way they think. They may experience the same thing yet take to mean or see it in different ways. Pain for example. Some would take it real hard on themselves, some are just resilient enough to bounce back and find love again, some grow to be scared of loving once more, some would start focusing on another aspect of their being and believe that love will just come in time...these are just to name a few. But, experiences may suggest different things to everyone. 

The right age to marry is one of the most debated issues. It is just so easy to say that age doesn't really matter, but it does in common sense. So many factors to consider, the weightiest issue is maturity. Many would attest that maturity level cannot be determined by age. This is because people have different maturity level. Some grow up too fast. They have good decision skill. They see a problem coming and avoid it. Some don't. They take life as if everything is a game. And they don't play it right most of the time. Most will just run away from problems, leaving some clutter behind. When it comes to love-relationship, this is a pretty critical issue because the one left behind has always been the one at the losing end. In real sense, girls are usually at the disadvantaged side. Why? Because most girls become so emotionally attached that they right off see their future together with the guy they love without even considering if the guy look at the same direction as they do. When girls become serious about a relationship...about a guy, well I don't want to generalize, but most often than not, girls would devote without hesitation. They'd give their all, which explains why most girls get into trouble. You probably know what I meant with "trouble". Experience shows us that while maturity level differs from one person to another, age still is a big factor when it comes to tying-the-knot. There are indeed men who are responsible enough to face their mistakes. There are men who are responsible enough to take the consequences of their actions. When they get a girl pregnant, they'd work as what fathers would instinctively do to raise their child. But not all are willing to take responsibility. These men are the ones everyone would tag as "cheaters". 

I do not want to use the word cheater anymore. I just learned that it is not really to cheat that men (or women) decide to run away from responsibility. It is just plain irresponsibility. They are what I describe as "looking at life as if it's a game"; something to experience. And because it seems they can always get away with every trouble they make, they keep doing the same thing. It has become a vicious pattern.

This is the same with women. Although, yes, girls are conventionally emotionally attached, there are still times/situations when they wander off. Not because they scheme to cheat or something, but because naturally, people change. People desire so many things. When girls marry at a young age, they become deprived of a lot of things which girls of the same age enjoy. I think same with guys. And because they are still young, they want to enjoy their youth. Only they can't...anymore. And I believe that not only younger men and women feel this way. All of us want to enjoy things around us. So, I think preparedness, in connection, with marriage, only happens when one can already sneer at life's pleasures to attend to the most important matters. 

So, what is the right age to marry? For me, there is no such thing as "right". Or must I say everything can be "right" as long as we can take accountability for our actions. I'd rather say "ideal" in stead of "right". Right is like already established fact; a given truth. While ideal is like a set standard, which can be altered every now and then. I am becoming too technical with words now.
Personally, I think the ideal age to marry is between mid 20s and early 30s. Because at this age, most men and women have reached a stage where they can already adjust to situations, they have become good decision-makers, they are already able to earn a living and can allot their earnings for their family and are less selfish...these are just among other factors to consider before making a family. And they all boil down to one thing--maturity.

But, again, I want to emphasize that there is no right (or wrong) age to marry. It all depends on many factors.
In search for the answer to the question, “what is the right age to marry?” I found an acceptable answer from this site. But for your convenience I will include some part here. Read...

So how old should two people be when they marry? That depends on many factors-maturity level, ability to earn a living, progress in education, and so on. But we can say for sure that, statistically, marriages seem to be much more stable when they begin no earlier than the mid-twenties. As a matter of fact, a recent study indicates that the most stable marriages of all have a "starting date" of twenty-eight years of age. In their book, Marriage and the Family, researchers Marcia and Tom Lasswell conclude: "Divorce rates are lowest for men and women who marry for the first time at age 28 or later. The chances for a stable marriage increase as both partners reach the age of 30 and then the rates level off."


At the heart of the issue is this: Young people can't select a marriage partner effectively if they don't know themselves well. Until they can identify themselves in a precise and detailed way, they are in no position to identify the person to move through life with them. In our culture, the identifying process usually requires most of the first twenty-five to twenty-eight years of life. Identity formation is incomplete until individuals have emotionally separated from their parents and discovered the details of their own uniqueness. Prior to their mid-twenties, most young adults haven't defined their goals and needs. They haven't had time to learn to be independent. They haven't yet "grown into themselves." They simply need more life experience.

Try reading In a Rush to Get Married? by Dr. Phil. Enlighten yourself. Who knows you'd finally know what is the best age to marry that might work for you.

How about this? Have you considered?
Marriage For All the Wrong Reasons
Have you noticed? There is a lot of pressure on singles to marry.
That pressure can and does cause singles to enter relationships and then marriage for the wrong reasons.
What are some of the wrong reasons that singles choose to marry? Just a few are:
1. Age.
Some singles think that being over a certain age and unmarried indicates something is wrong with them or gives them an increasingly poor chance of ever marrying. Others worry about their "biological clock" and marry to have children.
2. Sex.
Some singles confuse the desire to have sex with the desire to marry.
Or they confuse lust with love.
They get so addled by chemistry and lust, they forget to look at the person they are marrying. Those warning signs are quickly covered by another trip to bed.
3. Loneliness or that empty feeling.
Some singles feel that another marriage will solve their loneliness and/or make their life more meaningful. They are looking for someone to jump-start their life.
4. Avoid growing up.
Some single men and women marry to find someone to take care of them--financially, emotionally and/or socially.
All the wrong reasons to marry and almost certainly a trip to the divorce court in the future.
Marriage for All the Right Reasons
When you enter in relationships and marriage for the right reasons, you have a good chance of an enduring, satisfying, and life-long relationship.
Regardless of the age you marry, make certain that you wait until :
  • Your life is full of good things to share. Marriage should focus on what you can give to your partner, not on what he/she can give to you.
  • You realize that marriage is not the possession of another person.
  • You realize that marriage is a lifelong process of learning and change that will affect you twenty-four hours a day.

There are also a few things every single should probably do before marrying.


Before you can marry successfully, try this:
1. Know who you are: And that is easier said than done for most of us.
2. Know what you want in a marriage.
3. Have a "road map" of the person who can successfully share your life.
4. Know where and how to find that person without wasting years of time.

4 comments:

  1. I believe that maturity doesn't come with age, but it has a lot to do with time. I'd say that mid-20's is just perfect, with the lowering life-expectancy of Filipinos, you'd at least want to see your kids stable enough to be by themselves. But that simply takes age into account.

    Marriage, to me, should have no other reason but love, in it's truest form. Whatever your age may be, whether you have a car or not----just jewelries on a person one failed to see...

    ReplyDelete
  2. You were actually contradicting yourself when you said that maturity doesn't come with age...but it has a lot to do with time. We age as time passes by, right? Every second, every minute we grow older. Although not necessarily wiser. Maturity is not determined by age. This I won't contest. I have friends who have not shown any maturity even after a predicament when already they are considered adults who are expected to choose the right decisions. There are younger men and women who show higher maturity level and demonstrate better judgment.

    Love cannot be the sole factor to consider as reason for marriage. At the end of the day, when both of you go hungry, not even love in its truest form can help you survive. Financial stability is one big consideration when marriage is on the line.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wouldn't really call it contradicting, guess I should've expounded on it. You've made my point on why maturity doesn't come with age. It has a lot to do with time though, for it takes time to experience. And it is our experiences that develop our maturity, in a holistic way of course.

    The way you constructed your 2nd paragraph hits me like you're a person who fears a lot of things, and who is not that daring to simply jump into adventure.

    I believe I said--Marriage, to me, should have no other reason but love, in it's truest form--sure there are other factors to consider, and by no means am I ruling them out, but the only REASON should be love...

    "At the end of the day, when both of you go hungry, not even love in its truest form can help you survive."---someday, you will prove that love in its truest form will survive even death...

    I'd hate to ask this, but if one would follow your line of thought, should non-virgins then not be married? Must be one of the factors right...

    Keep blogging...

    ReplyDelete
  4. WRONG. that's not one of the factors.

    let's face it. no matter how we love someone, there are just things that won't go the same direction as we want. like compatibility. we may love someone with all our heart but if both of you are just from different sides of the world, it won't just work. we can't force something when it's not meant to be. like the poor-boy-rich-girl story or vice versa. they can decide to stay together all they want but if they had chosen a life away from each other, it could've been better. you can't just have a life so peaceful when from the very start your affair is against all odds.

    what television and movie stories teach us is love will conquer all. if that's the case then can somebody tell me why are there so many failed marriages and broken families?

    WRONG. i don't fear a lot of things. but i fear some things. esp when they seem to get in the way of my goals.

    thanks for your thoughts!

    ReplyDelete

✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐

A Love with a promise of permanence.

"...if any hear MY voice and open the door,  I will come into their house and eat with them,  and they will eat with ME." ...

✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐