What is really difficult is when in a marriage there is some big issue that you have differing views with your spouse on. I will tell you mine. We bought a ranch 1.5 hours from where we live. I love it there and want to build a house there and move there when I retire - say 5-10 years from now. My wife was on board with buying the ranch and thinks it is cool but does not under any circumstances want to live there. She wants to retire in town where everything is close. One of us isn't going to have the retirement of our dreams. There really is no compromise to something like that either we are going to move there or we aren't.

I was 22 when Wifeypoo forced me to marry her. Pretty sure it was all about good looks and great sex. Yes, things have changed some over time, but after 39 years, I sure am glad she picked me.

I know a few older couples that are exactly like this. He stays for weeks/months at a time at the ranch, she stays home and makes occasional trips.

I married at 22 but had alreay did 3 years with Uncle Sam's Army. If I could go back I would do like my son and wait till my 30's. One of my kids listen to me, the girls were 19 and 20. But yes I would still get married.

Wife and i were both 26 when we married. Started dating at 24. Got all of our wild and crazy running around out of our system before we got together. We both have the same political views and love our place way out in the woods. We rarely have an argument.

I thing to many people jump in because of lust without truly getting to know the person. Another thought that women have is if the man has some qualities that she doesn't like, she think she can change him. Some men will, most men wont. It rarely works out.

I work a job that frequently has me traveling for 2-3 weeks at a time. My longtime friend, who is also a co-worker now, his wife cant stand him being gone more than a night or two. So now, he stays home while i am out making overtime. My wife is good with it. His wife calls him 20 times a day, and they spend more time arguing than anything. It is his second wife and they were engaged 5 months after their first date. I figured he would have learned!

I know a lot of couples like this. It seems to work out well for them

Have a nice ride see you on the other side.

Good luck Sir..

See , the young fella just needed some of us around the table. I’ve been married 24 years myself , only marriage. I’m gonna talk to him this week sometime

'Been to too many weddings in the last few years that deliberately leave out any mention of God in the ceremony. One was by a Methodist minister in her full stole (but at the Driskill Hotel). My grandfather would be livid. The Methodists lost their backbone a long time ago. 'Don't want to risk offending anyone, don't you know.

I married at 19 the first time, high school sweetheart. Way too young for this current age, but I have known marriages to last just fine still. She grew up in a household where no one ever raised their voices and if her dad was upset, everyone else walked around on eggshells. I grew up in a loud, argumentative family, but we loved each other a lot and told each other so. In hindsight, I think she married me as a form of rebellion. Then, 11 years later, she told her folks I was "destroying her self-esteem." She filed. I'm sure the fact that she soon had a male friend that she'd met at work coming over is a COMPLETE coincidence. There are much worse divorces, but it took a lot of years for me to feel like I'd forgiven her for what she put me and, more importantly, my two girls through. The effects, still, are profound on one of them.

Going on 29 years with #2. The woman knows how to fight.

My wife and I kinda going thru the same thing. She wants to retire on the beach, and I want to retire in the mountains. We both like the idea of retiring on a lake house, so maybe there is compromise there. But she wants lake house close to the beach and I want close to mountains.

Married young the first time and it didn't last three years, but it taught me how to be a better husband for the second one. Good Lord called the second one home when I was 35, and I haven't been in a serious relationship (6+ months) since. That's been 10 years now. I'm not going to say a future marriage is completely off the table, but it's a pretty damned small table.

Social media has destroyed the idea of a traditional relationship. It's shortened the collective attention span of the entire world. There's a reason these TikTok videos are only 60 seconds. It's too easy to concentrate on one thing only for a short time, and then go for something else. Click, see a profile. 1 minute later, click, see another one. It goes directly towards a person's world view, that once things aren't fun, or interesting, or exciting any more it's just click and move on.

Heard a man say this many years ago about marriage. When you take your vows you have to agree that divorce will never an be an option. What that does IMO is forces a couple to work things out - it creates a commitment (which in today's world is rare - not many really want to commit to anything).

We have now been married 44 years - we have an awesome, huge family - like every other couple we have disagreed and bickered over some things but the fact that we both knew divorce was not an option forced us to work through any issues that ever camp up. And I will add that we both respect each other's space - she has always understood that hunting is my passion so she lets me do it. I realize what her passions are and I let her do it. So at least for us we would not trade our lives for anything -

Just started reading this and best advice yet!

After 48 years together I think I will keep my crazy gray haired redhead.

Wish I'd met my current wife earlier in life. She would have been a great mother.

Same here.

As for the guy that is 22, I would say for them to live together for at least 2 years to find out the good, bad and ugly of each other.

I’d say you got a keeper

Consider a house in town and a house at the ranch?

22 year olds today shouldn’t get married

Its all relative to each individual. In general 22 is young TODAY for the world we live in now. Most men that merry young will either cheat on the wife or wish they could. Most young girls (I'd like to say women but their not quiet there yet) today are in love WITH THE IDEA OF MARRIAGE. Girls are more independent today. IMO what it really matters is , do you REALLY KNOW YOURSELF. Yes you need to know who the hell your about to get hitched to but YOU are what its all about. Can YOU be with ONE woman the rest of your life? Can she be with ONE man the rest of hers? Sadly its the man who fails that question most of the time. I know some of you bring the good lord in it but I do not put much weight on God in a marriage. To many Christians have divorced and many couple have stayed together that have no god in their life. (BTW, a marriage certificate is mans doing, yet another tax on us)

If you, the person who can be with only one the rest of your life, meets the other who can do the same your marriage stands a great chance. Get hitched to the one who cannot be with just one and your "marriage" is likely doomed. Its just a matter of TIME.

I could barely take care of myself at age 22. I almost got married at age 23, she was in a hurry to get her MRS degree before her BS degree, I wasn't.

I was 34 when I did get married. I had complete and total plans to be a lifelong bachelor, and of course when you aren't looking for her you find her. I knew when I met her in person the first time (Match.com) that she was the one. Been married for 14 years.

Getting married is easy, staying married isn't.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Congrats but how were you not looking if you signed up and paid for match.com?

+1, 34 here also. Never thought I would give up the single life. Both my kids got married last year. Both in their 20s. I was a little surprised but both happy and that is what matters. People with bad marriages should not pass out marriage advise. My wife left me after 20 years. It bothered me for a while but figured I was better off without her.

My dad told my 2 older brothers (1 of which is married and the other is stashing the money away)and now he's telling me, find a woman who loves God more than she loves you. And you'll both be happy"
It's worked for him for 32 years...