20-Year-Old Army Wife Defends Decision To Marry Young, Celebrates Commitment
A young army wife’s Facebook post praising marriage and commitment went viral after the then-20-year-old asked the question: When did marrying young become such a bad thing?
Almost two years ago, Adaline Meredith shared a photo from her wedding, along with a list of the comments she often received when new friends found out that she was married at such a young age.
“Yes, I am 20 and married. Yes, I have heard it all,” she wrote, citing everything from “your brains aren’t fully developed” to “you haven’t finished college” as unwanted opinions that well-meaning friends gave for why Meredith should have stayed single longer.
“Honestly, I’m not sure when or why being young and married became such a ‘bad’ thing,” she wrote. “Don’t get me wrong either we don’t have it all figured out and I will never claim to. I know marriage is a huge commitment.”
However, the army wife said that the idea of commitment didn’t bother her like it does many young people. She wasn’t afraid to “miss out” on the things other women her age were experiencing.
“My personal favorite which is usually asked by young college girls ‘Aren’t you scared you’ll miss out on things,'” Meredith said. “Don’t worry 99% of the time I know exactly what they mean by ‘things’ (parties, getting drunk and wild).”
The post celebrated the beauty of marriage that so many young people are apt to miss out on if they let the fear of commitment get in the way.
“I will always have someone to laugh and cry with,” she wrote.
“When I’m 80 I will be able to tell my children I have been married to their dad for 60 years! I get to spend the rest of my life taking on adventures with my best friend,” she said, adding, “I feel so blessed that The Lord saw me fit to meet the love of my life so early.”
Now, two years after her original post went viral, Meredith told The Western Journal that her feelings haven’t changed. Even though marriage is complicated, the 22-year-old says it “isn’t always easy but it is always worth it.”
The Western Journal asked the army wife what advice she would give to other young people, now that she’s been married for over two years.
“My best advice would be to always communicate,” she said. With her husband serving in the military, and often away from home, communication is especially important. She also remarked that although she doesn’t receive as many negative comments about her marriage now that she’s a few years older, it’s still good to remember not to let other people’s words sway you too much. It’s important to stay true to who you are and to the commitments you’ve made.
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“You can’t let what everyone else has to say influence your decisions,” Meredith told The Western Journal. “Since we are both a little older we do not hear the comments as much.”
“Since I am still in college I feel that I do hear them more than he does. Usually [I] just smile and ignore the comments. It’s our journey, our story, our life and we are happy so I think that’s the most important thing regardless of what others say.”
You can follow Adaline Meredith on Instagram at @addie_456.
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