engaged & underage

You might not be old enough to buy alcohol, but can you lay the groundwork for lasting romantic commitment?

That's the underlying question in this article, a first-person piece supporting teen marriage. With some bias, of course: The author tied the knot at 19 and is still married 9 years later.

It's a well-written piece, one that defies the usual stereotypes of teen marriage because the author and her husband married solely out of love, not because of pregnancy or parental pressure.

People are skeptical of teen marriages for practical reasons: You need time outside the structure of high school to accumulate life skills and learn what you want from the world. Part of me thinks is a process that continues after college, too. I'm always a little afraid for the girls who move in with a guy the day after college graduation.

But the truth is that nobody can name an age as "right" for marriage. And plenty of people think marrying at 18 or 19 is "normal" because that's what their parents did.

Thoughts?