8 Relationship Roadblocks that Sabotage Young Couples – Part 2

Roadblock #3: “We haven’t been dating long enough”

Action: Realize that a few months probably is not long enough to make a decision – but a few years probably is

 Being “ready” is actually more about readiness for a decision about marriage than a magic feeling of being 100% ready for marriage itself. It turns out that how long you date before marrying may be just as important for marital stability as whether you get married old or young. An Emory University study of 3,000 people examined all sorts of wedding and marriage-related issues. But one crucial finding is essential for young couples to know. As a Business Insider article summarized it:

“When compared against couples who’d dated for one year, couples who dated one to two years had about a 20% lower chance of divorcing. When those couples were compared to those who dated for three or more years, the likelihood of divorce decreased by about 50%.”

So: have you been dating two or three years? Long enough to get to know one another and discuss all those “issues?” If so, don’t be afraid of the “age” number. The “years of dating” number may be just as important – or more.