Marriage Young under 25 Generation y
Forget the Year of the Rat. 2008 is the year of the wedding. Is it just me, or is everyone getting married these days? I guess I've smashed into the iceberg of the life cycle where old school friends are engaged or already weighed down with the ball and chain of commitment. And joining the clan myself over a year ago, I'm also one of the lucky ones stung by Cupid's arrow. But the unusual thing is most of these people, myself included, will be 25 or under when they saunter down the aisle.
With the average Australian woman getting married at 28 and their male counterparts at 30, it seems that our actions are inconsistent with the rest of the population. So here I am, stubbornly refusing to follow the crowd.
In the 21st century there seems to be a couple of unspoken rules on the topic. Before you can qualify for a gold ring, you must first go backpacking around the world (extra points for experiencing a real mugging), and then return home to live at your parent's house until you're established in your career.
The second unspoken rule is that when you are ready to settle down, the process of finding The One' should be like an Olympic sport. First you need to shoot down the person you fancy, then jump over meeting-the-parents' hurdles (and hope you don't fall flat on your face), and finally sprint down the aisle because-whoops- you've suddenly realised your biological clock is ticking away.
But surely it can be much simpler than that. Why make it complicated when you know that you've found the right one for you? As a woman in my early 20s, I feel that I must justify my choice to marry young. I have to explain that we've known each other since the turn of the century, and that I already waded through five years of friendship before we even started dating. I know I love him, so why must I wait any longer? My engaged friends have said they feel the same way. Perhaps it is typical of Generation Y-ers. We know what we want, and we want it now!
I've heard my parents say that they may be in their 50s, but still think the same way as when they were 21. This definitely applies to the ageless feeling of falling in love. Just because you marry young, it doesn't mean that the chances of divorce are higher than if you waited 10 more years. In fact, I know many couples who married in their early 20s and are still together 30 years on. And others that aren't. It's just the luck of the draw.
So it seems that marrying young is the in' thing again. But I believe as long as you're ready to be blinded by the flashing florescent signs that shout committed', there shouldn't be a problem. And yes, I'm old enough to understand the double entendre of the word!
