Marraige under 18

I am here to ask for your opinion: what do you think of marriages under the age of 18? Do you think they are mature enough for that? Or do you think that they should wait until 18 to be married because they are not yet mature?

 

well even if they are 18, it doesn't mean they're mature. But I don[t think they should marry under 18

 

It depends how 'below 18' you're talking about, in my opinion.

The point -Xero- makes is relevant, being of legal age doesn't make someone mature. There are plenty of people well over that age that can't be considered an adult. I'd say that it should be alright if the couple is of enough responsibility and has means of financially sustaining a family. Still, there's a few reasons against being married before the age of eighteen.

 

Should absoloutely not be allowed. I've seen way to many lives go downhill because of this. People are just plain not mature enough to make a huge decision like this at such a young age.

 

I don't think that the majority of under 25-year-olds are mature enough to get married, and I think under 18-year-olds should absolutely not be allowed to get married, even with the parents approval.
Also, I don't think that if the girl is pregnant the couple should get special treatment (I know some places do this), having illegitimate children is becoming more and more acceptable in most Western societies.

 

I think it's not really our place to say whats right or wrong on the subject. On one hand doing it so young can't be very good but on the other if they feel that way why not

 

Hey now, stop there please. Some teenagers are mature enough to deal with marriage depending on the amount of crap they've been through. If the boy can stay with the girl for 7 months after she gives birth and if he still loves then they should have the right to get married. You don't know what it is like to have a teenage pregnancy because having one shows you the pain of life and the pains of a relationship. If you'd look at the oreo generation then you'd see even those relationships struggled when the woman was pregnant because it's the pregnant girl's hormones going out whack that makes the relationship tense. What they should do is take a psychiatric evaluation on the teenagers' mind to make sure it isn't things like Lust, drugs, background, and bio affecting the teenage couple's relationship.

 

I'm kind of torn on this. I have a lot of experience with it, not necessarily in the form of marriage, but in related subjects. Both from my own personal experiences and from becoming something of a part-time psychiatrist for a lot of my friends, I know for a fact that no matter how mature teenagers think they are, they still have a lot to learn. I tend to want to think the exact opposite, because if I couldn't count on my digits the number of times I've known adults who acted like children or disregarded the much wiser advice of their much younger offspring, then clearly age is not a factor of maturation, or at least not a very strong one.

The way I see it, the best way to handle people under 18 getting married is to allow them to do so, but make sure they have a lot of support and really know what they're getting into. I feel the same about the age of consent, driving age, and so on; there's too many different types of people in the world to tell them all that they have to be X years old to do Y activities, where X is an arbitrarily selected number based on the average of what age group has the most unwanted pregnancies, or car crashes, or whatever. The whole system needs a lot more thought than is being put into it, because at present it ends up encouraging a lot of teenagers to take matters into their own hands when they can't do what they know full well they're ready to do. That leads to mistakes. Those same teenagers could do exactly what they want to, and if they had support from older, wiser people, they would be much safer and still be enriched by the experience. As for marriage specifically, it's harmless. If two teens want to get hitched, as long as they're aware of what a huge friggin' commitment that is, they ought to be allowed, for better or worse. And I understand that it can lead to worse. But that's a learning experience, and marriage isn't going to cause too much irreparable damage, not the way reckless/unprotected sex or driving before 16 will.

 

Let people have opinions, seriously. In my opinion, it's not down to just maturity but also experience. How can you be sure you've found "the one" if you're still just in your teenage years?

I don't think there should be a "set time" for how long they should be together before they can marry. And it's strange how you assume the boy will be leaving the girl. o.O

Wait, you do?

What do you mean by background? And I would certainly prefer to have lustful feelings towards the person I was going to marry. xD


If teenagers want to get married, let them do it. If they feel they are prepared, then let them learn by their mistakes. You can give them all the advice in the world, but sometimes it doesn't quite break through the barrier of love. And who knows, maybe it'll turn into a happy marriage in spite of all the misgivings. xD (then again, I sort of draw the line around 16 >>

 

The bold part is true, I (fortunately) haven't experienced anything like that. However, I do know people who did get a child very young, they stayed together for the child's sake only to break-up a few years later.
I think it would be smarter to wait a some time until they can legally get married, and see if they still feel committed to each other.
Less than a year and a half seems like an awfully little time to determine if you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, especially when you're still growing emotionally.
And I wouldn't blame hormones completely if the relationship doesn't work. Sure, it probably does have some effect, but most of the time it's because one or both of the future parents just isn't ready for a baby or a serious relationship.

@Cariad, funny how people tend to set the age somewhere close to their own xD Myself included.

 

Marriage is the symbol of love between two people.
I say, if you love each other, go for it. Believe me, age doesn't matte when it comes to loving someone.
Just remember, it's as easy to fall out of love as you fall into it.

 

You do know that it's mandatory for married couples to live together, right?

 

The parts in yellow are what I said btw

mistakes are what make them learn thus strengthening the relationship or ruin it

 

it ok at less they love one other cause in someplaces a 40 year old man will force a 17 year old girl to marry him and my grandfather got married at 17 and it work out fine still alive still with each other

 

That's not always true. Depending on property worth, financial income of the couple and a lot of other factors, it's sometimes beneficial for people to live in seperate housing. THough to tell the truth it is extremely rare in Western Society.
Some African tribes marry their children to different families in order to create bonds of peace, but after the wedding ceremony, the couple may not see each other for years until they they have both matured.

 

I didn't say it couldn't be beneficial. I said it isn't legal.
The law is a factor. Want to lower the age for marriage? Then you better take that little side dish into account.

 

Who says the law can control our lives? Shouldn't we be the ones? Who gave us these lives? (Actually, it depends on religion and view).

Religious people believe that god gave them this life to live in and do what they want to do in the future and including that they control their lives. Some other religions gave laws that prohibit marriage at certain ages but still let them control their lives on other ways.

Non-religious people who are probably atheists or scientific viewed people follow what is better for their lives and follow the rules that the law gave them.

Between these two, there is slight difference, but I believe people can choose how to live their lives and if they want, they can marry underage.

 

Oh, I thought by mandatory, you meant it was a social obligation to live with your partner.
And, i'm not sure about the law on this, but is it really illegal to have to live with your 'other half'? Sounds like a drastic law to keep people together.

p.s: I think the marriage age is fine, to tell the truth. It's probably one of the the few age laws I totally agree with.

 

I personally don't think that it's acceptable for people to get married under the age of 18. I mean, who would want to sacrifice the opportunity to actually experience what life has to offer them before they decide to settle down. Think about what would be missed out if they choose to get married. Their High School Prom, then College, actually living among those who are at the same age group as you, actually experience other things like survival, or figuring out how to make plans for your own personal vacation?! and then ultimately living a life filled with regret and missing out on most of your youth and letting half of your life spam going to a complete waste and asking yourself in your head, "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME, WHY WOULD YOU RUIN YOUR LIFE, LIFE THIS!?"

Man....That's to much to think about for someone underage.

 

i don't think it should be BANNED through laws or anything official, i do think it should be discouraged though. i think that because, i believe most people under the age of 18 years old are still living with their parents at home. i really DO think that if two people are thinking about getting married, they should defintely try living together AND away from their parents because i think that adds a lot of insight whether the people are right for each other. i know it's not required to live together if you're married, but i don't really see the point in getting married unless you're living together (unless they want whatever tax benefits marriage brings).