Too Young to Marry?

Why is it that decades ago being married under the age of 20 was perfectly normal but in today's society it is considered rushed and not through through?

Wes and I have now been married for over a year, but I still remember some of the reactions we got when we were first engaged:
- Oh...wow...that's quick
-What about school?
-You're awfully young don't you think?
- When's the baby due?
- You know many young marriages end in divorce
-I got married young too... boy do I regret that

All to many times, it felt as though young couples get clumped together as "will divorce in future" category. 
Now, I understand how big a step marriage is.  I truly believe if you are getting married for the right reasons, being married young cna be a beautiful thing. 

It is much better to marry the right person at the wrong time then to marry the wrong person at the right time

Now, I may be biased on these reasons, but here are some of the reasons I have come up with for marrying young (as there are many opposite such lists that are easily accessible).

1) Being married young allows you to grow both spiritually, physically and mentally together. 
Wes and I were as they say "high school sweethearts".  We met when I was 14 and started dating soon after.  I have had the priviledge of seeing him grow into the man he is today, as well as see what it is that has brought him to this point in life.

2) When you marry young, your independant life is not as set in stone, and therefore can be altered more easily.
Getting the first apartment together was a big step.  There was definately some compromises that had to be made, but it was nice that we were young so our habits weren't as... well habitual. 

3) Marrying young allows you to avoid sexual tempations.
Let's not kid ourselves, as Christians we often marry younger so we will not fall into temptation.  This being said, one of my biggest pet peeves is people who believe this is the only reason Christians marry young- it's not. 
Sex is something to be shared between husband and wife, and when it is in this context it is beautiful.
Today's culture has taught us to have sex early and marry later.  With this attitude however, what should be shared with only one other person ends up being shared with more people than intended.

4) Marrying young means having children earlier in life.
Now don't get me wrong, I understand that having children early has both ups and downs, but I do believe that being younger and having more energy to play with your children is such a blessing.   

5) Getting married young gives you more time together.
This point works in two ways for me.  Wes and I lived 40 minutes away from each other while dating (Now, when you do not have a liscense or car... it's far).  Being married allows us to see each other each day, which is wonderful.
Now for the long-term, if it is in God's will for us to both live to 80, we can say we have been married 60 years!  I think having 60 years together is just wonderful!

There are more reasons, but for now I will leave you with these five. 
God has a different plan for each person, whether they will be married or not (and being single is really a wonderful thing too- just read what Paul has to say about it), but in my opinion, being married should not be disregarded and looked down upon as much as it is today. 


What do you think?  Is gettting married young a good or bad thing?

Proverbs 5:18