Young Love Ain’t Always Puppy Love
by Tara Pringle Jefferson
I have loved my husband since the very time I saw him. I was 17 and a brand-new freshman on campus. I was moving into my dorm, cursing the fact that I hadn’t gotten the single room that I wanted. But I think God had something else in store for me.
I met my husband that very first day of college, as he was the 22 year old assistant hall director who was in grad school. We all went around in a circle and introduced ourselves. “Hello, I’m Thomas Jefferson,” he said, and I kid you not, it’s like my brain fast-forwarded in time. I could see him walking with me down the aisle. I could see our chubby-cheeked kids. I could see us on a porch, rocking together, old and gray. I could see all that in the time it took the next person to speak.
After the “Welcome to college speech,” I pulled my roommate aside and told her, rather confidently, that I had just met my husband. She rolled her eyes. “Okay, girl, whatever.”
We got married almost exactly three years later and my roommate stood there as one of my bridesmaids.
I tell that story, not only because it’s cute, but because people don’t think real love can occur if you’re younger than 25. Now, we’re only in year three of our marriage, giving us six years and two kids together, but I feel we are more solid than ever.
It sucks when instead of celebrating love and marriage, it’s like we were too young to be taken seriously. We had people pull us aside and say, “You know, you don’t HAVE to get married. Why would you want to?” And you’ve got other folks taking bets on how long we’d be married, and at three years in, we’ve already outlasted 95% of the doubters. Ouch.
But I knew that I wanted to be married and I wanted to marry HIM. I was interested in what the institution of marriage had to offer and what I could offer him as his wife. I couldn’t stand being his “girlfriend” – that term just seemed to casual for the way we felt about each other. We knew what we wanted and we went for it. We’re in this for the long haul,
Not to say that we haven’t had issues adjusting. I was a 21-year-old bride and I had no idea what that meant. I knew I wanted to be married, but it took some time for us to settle into our roles and be the couple we are today. We know we’re not going anywhere. That’s why we have our long-running joke about us getting divorced: “Sure, you can divorce me. But we’re still living together and we can’t date nobody else and we’ll still share a bed – so what’s the point?” LOL.
I’m just now knocking on 25′s door and I feel good having had the title of “wife” for this long. Now, when one of my friends leans in and tells me, “Oh, girl, I think I just met my husband” I’ll be able to give her a smile and say, “Yup, I’ve been there….”
What’s your view on getting married at a younger age? Good idea? Bad idea? Keep it real…
Tara Pringle Jefferson is a freelance writer and blogger living in Ohio with her husband and two children. Visit her blog, www.theyoungmommylife.com, to read more of her observations about life, motherhood and love.
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