I got married very young – although for the times (1965) it was fairly average. I was 20 years old and I had my daughter when I was 21. I often say that my daughter and I grew up together. Of course, in the 60’s we were groomed for marriage. Most of my contemporaries went on to university, but very few graduated. It was considered a pastime until the right guy came along. In todays far more complex world than the one that I was raised in, I think that a 19 or 20 year old has a lot of growing up to do. The fellows need even more growing up time. Although many are married very young, until they are about 25, they usually aren’t mature enough for the reponsibilities of a family. I am not even referring to education, but to social skills. Although many married men go out with a male friend periodically, young men need the opportunity to develop friendships with other men – to spend a Sunday afternoon at a ballgame, etc. This is how they develop social skills. Women usually develop these skills as teenagers but they still need to work on their “spiritual and emotional” skills (as binahyeseira said). When I look back upon my marriage (now divorced after a 40 year marriage), I realize that I did what was expected of me and that I was “in love with love” and not the man that I married.
