I don’t know whether Facebook is playing a cruel game with me, or if everyone I know is actually getting engaged. Now Facebook even has a “relationship” notifier by the birthday one. It’s a giant slap in the face. It’s like your computer is saying – “Ha, look! All your college friends, friends from high school, and random people you don’t know well but stalk, have found the love of their life. You don’t even have a boyfriend. You sicken me.” Facebook and other social media sites lure you in, making you think about engagement more than you should.
You cannot get hyped up in the glamorous part of an engagement. We all love to be the center of attention, and how fun does a lot of parties centered on you sound? Amazing. Not to mention the big rock on your hand (if my future fiancé is reading this, if it isn’t Tiffany, it isn’t happening). Remember that a wedding is for a day, but a marriage is forever.
How do you know when the right time for you to get engaged is? Simply, you don’t really know. There is no right or wrong time. Personally, I don’t think I am mature enough to have a boyfriend, let alone a fiancé. But I have many friends who think they are ready to get engaged. Everyone is different. Some want to in college, right after they graduate, in their late 20s, or later in life.
So many college girls who date the same guy throughout school expect the next step to be marriage. They cannot wait until their guy gets down on one knee so they can start their life together. It sounds great; I mean who doesn’t want a wedding full of young love? But there is a lot you have to take into consideration.
Think about the person you are with and where you both are in your life. If you want to settle down, but still have more to do with your life (like school, traveling, etc.), then it is better to wait. If you share the same values, goals, and basic outlook on life, maybe you are ready.
My 19-year-old cousin got married this past June to her 21-year-old fiancé. I am from Tennessee, and us deep southerners do tend to tie the knot earlier than most. Aside from that, some may think that is way to young. However, they both believed it was the right time. They went against what everyone told them and followed their hearts. They also saved themselves for each other, so religion was also a factor. Whatever your factor may be, if you know, you know.
The problem with the whole “If you know, you know,” saying is that people think they know. In reality, they may be blinded by an imagination. When they think they know, they rush into something way too quickly. That results in an early divorce, which no one wants. Everyone goes into a relationship thinking that they are going to be the game changer. They are going to be the couple that gets through it all. Make sure that you are 100% on the same page as the other person, so your relationship can be everlasting.
Day in and out, I see friends on Facebook that make it seem like they have these picture-perfect lives, literally. Though it may seem ideal to you, remember that you are your own person. Every relationship is different. No one knows what goes on in a relationship except the two people in it. Make sure you remember that the next time you think about getting engaged.