As a teen who is in love, I see no reasonable problem with a seventeen or eighteen year old wanting to get married.  If they believe that they are ready for such a commitment, then by all means why stand in their way?   There are statistics from The New York Times that claim that “48 percent of those who marry before eighteen are likely to divorce within ten years, compared to 24 percent of those who marry after the age of twenty-five.” However, since when can you place love, new generations and new life circumstances in a scientific barrier?   Statistics are scientific guesses, only a prediction, and can’t be taken literally as a fact.  A statistic can’t be  solid reasoning for someone to be told that they can’t get married at the age of seventeen.

The article “Too Young to Get Married? See What the Experts Say..”  says that “no one can say for how old you should be when you marry, but no matter what your age, be sure you consider what factors are important to you in deciding when marriage is right for you”  and I agree.  Only you can say when and if you are ready to get married at whatever age you want, and no one should be able to say whether you can or can’t simply based on your age.  There are advantages to getting married at a young age; Allwomenstalk.com, along with many other websites, says that some advantages are that “you start your life together at a  young age, you get to plan your future together at a young age, and you get a head start from all the others.”  This website also shows some of the downers to getting married young, like “not enough time to get to know each other, financial well being, and not enough time for outside friends.”  I conclude that getting married at a young age, you are well aware that things are going to be different. Yes, you may not have known this person for years and years and years like everyone wants, but that's okay because love can come in minutes or in years; time is an advantage, but it's not a necessity. 

When people think about teens wanting to get married their first thought is having children and having to raise them, but when someone wants to get married at a young age, having children isn't always his/her main concern.  Yes, having little ones who are half you and half the person you love is great, but it's not always a first priority,even though it may eventually happen.  Early mama.com explains some of the perks of getting married young, and one of their perks is that it’s an easier parenting transition.  I agree because you are young and more flexible to the lifestyle of not having a lot of you money and extra time; it’s easier for most teens to handle that transition. 

The advantages of young marriage outweigh the disadvantages.  The longer you wait, the more you are running a chance of not being able to keep up with your children.  No one should be able to tell you when or whether you should be able to marry someone, no matter what your age may be.  If you truly believe you can make it, then believe in yourself.  Don't let anyone talk you out of what you want because you know yourself better than anyone.  Take what they say into consideration and learn from it; if people tell you that you may fail because they did then don't take their failures to heart. You're not them!  You make your own life decisions because if you don't, you're not your own person.

Some people see marriage as an opportunity, but only as an opportunity within a certain age requirement.  I see marriage as an opportunity for a long happy life with the person you love, and I don't believe that there should be an age requirement to when you should be allowed to marry.   There are very many pros and cons to marrying at a young age, but in my opinion, the pros exceed the cons any day.