I first got engaged when I was 19.
I know exactly what you’re thinking, and rest assured I now think exactly the same way, but at the time it seemed like such a good idea.
I’d always been overly mature for my years, so when I passed the age to legally drink a beer in Australia, I also felt as though I was mature enough to tackle the next milestone in life – marriage. Even though we had only been dating for one year and had never lived together.
We were in love and wanted to spend every minute in each other’s pockets. Unfortunately, my Greek Orthodox parents were unsupportive of us living together alone and unmarried – what would the neighbors think?! So, we did exactly what was expected of us and instead of rebelling like normal ratbags, we got married.
Watch: Things people never say at weddings. Post continues below.
My ex-husband (such a horrible word, I think) is a fantastic man. He is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. He never harmed me, we rarely fought, and we were the best of friends.
Top Comments
This makes me sad: not so much her second marriage, but the ending of her first. The whole "it's not you, it's me" thing has always felt a bit insubstantial to me: rather than working out how to grow with the other person, you need to leave them to do that? Like they're not able to give you the time and the space you need and love you through that? Or be an active part of that process, encouraging you and supporting you through those big choices? And it does still seem to me that you're carrying some baggage from that experience, or it wouldn't bother you enough to write about it here. Susan may be blunt, but I think she has a point.