I think I’ll wait.
I come from a rather daunting line of marriages. My parents have known one another since they were kids, having grown up across the street from each other. My eldest brother and his wife began dating when they were adolescents, and then married right out of college. Then my other brother went crazy and waited until he was a whopping 28 years old until he married…but as it turns out he knew his bride for over 10 years before they said their “I do’s.”
Then there is me— 25 and not about to follow in these footsteps.
- I could have married the guy I grew up with, but we moved 1,000 miles away when I was 8 years old. The long distance thing never would have worked at that age.
- I could have married the guy I was with in high school, but we pretty well sucked the life out of one another. Even then, I knew I wasn’t looking for something quite so Twilight-esque.
- I could have married the guy I’ve known forever, but I am pretty sure any guy who could fit that bill is gay, already married or I’m just as uninterested as I ever was…
Nope, that’s not me. I’ve attempted a different road to romance than the rest of my family and I’m crossing my fingers that it pays off in the end. The good news is it seems like I’ve got a lot working in my favor. It’s looking like the more education I get, the longer I wait and the more financially independent I am, the more successful and egalitarian any theoretical future marriage might be. Awesome. Sign me up. Is he willing to be a stay at home dad or, at the very least, share household responsibilities more evenly? Even better, says the NYTimes.
So lets see…lower divorce rates, higher rates of happiness, more egalitarian partnerships, smarter kids and more sex…. whats not to like about that? Marriage is no longer a social obligation with the only two possible alternatives being spinster or bachelor. Lucky us, we get to choose when and how and why and if we do it. (Well, some of us get to. Hopefully all of us will be privileged with such a choice soon enough.)
So for me, I’m simply in no hurry. The way I see it, I have a lot to look forward to and little to lose by not hopping on the “I must get married before I’m 30 bandwagon.” My clock ain’t tickin’ that fast, my friends.
The fact is, things are a’changin and to me… it looks like its for the best.
