When I moved to California, I noticed people wait longer to get married than people do in the South. I think I know why.
Disclaimer: I am talking about non-believers. Believers, while still waiting longer than most people in the South to get married, do seem to wed earlier than non-believers. Another disclaimer: If you haven't noticed from reading my site before, I love sweeping generalizations. Now back to what I was going to say.
1. Shacking Up
In the Bible Belt, shacking up is frowned upon. More brave souls are doing so these days, but not without their moms and grandmas giving them that lame comparison about cow purchasing and free milk. Out here, it's far more acceptable. In fact, some might advise you to live together first, because how will you know if you can be married to a person if you don't know what it's like to live with them?
I think this is less of an issue for those who marry young, because they haven't gotten a chance to get set in their ways and think of things as "mine" yet, since generally they haven't lived alone (this may not apply to only children). People who marry young are usually fresh from the home of their parents, or from a dormroom where they share most everything with a roommate. So making a transition from being single to being married and having to compromise and share isn't so hard.
2. Birthing Babies
Since the non-southerners feel no real pressure to tie the knot, there is really no reason to get married until the issue of children comes up. Then it's more important to have some legal tie to the father/mother of the child, for insurance, custody and emotional reasons. By this point the couple has saved up some money and obtained carreers, and they can afford to go to Hawaii for their honeymoon, unlike those who married young and don't have rich parents so they have to go to the beach for two days because they can't afford much more.
Anyway, those are the main two reasons I've come up with. And when people ask how old I am, and how long I've been married, take a second and do the math and then comment that I'm just a baby, I explain that I'm from the South. That's become my excuse for most things nowadays.
Disclaimer: I am talking about non-believers. Believers, while still waiting longer than most people in the South to get married, do seem to wed earlier than non-believers. Another disclaimer: If you haven't noticed from reading my site before, I love sweeping generalizations. Now back to what I was going to say.
1. Shacking Up
In the Bible Belt, shacking up is frowned upon. More brave souls are doing so these days, but not without their moms and grandmas giving them that lame comparison about cow purchasing and free milk. Out here, it's far more acceptable. In fact, some might advise you to live together first, because how will you know if you can be married to a person if you don't know what it's like to live with them?
I think this is less of an issue for those who marry young, because they haven't gotten a chance to get set in their ways and think of things as "mine" yet, since generally they haven't lived alone (this may not apply to only children). People who marry young are usually fresh from the home of their parents, or from a dormroom where they share most everything with a roommate. So making a transition from being single to being married and having to compromise and share isn't so hard.
2. Birthing Babies
Since the non-southerners feel no real pressure to tie the knot, there is really no reason to get married until the issue of children comes up. Then it's more important to have some legal tie to the father/mother of the child, for insurance, custody and emotional reasons. By this point the couple has saved up some money and obtained carreers, and they can afford to go to Hawaii for their honeymoon, unlike those who married young and don't have rich parents so they have to go to the beach for two days because they can't afford much more.
Anyway, those are the main two reasons I've come up with. And when people ask how old I am, and how long I've been married, take a second and do the math and then comment that I'm just a baby, I explain that I'm from the South. That's become my excuse for most things nowadays.
