Welcome to another #LoveBlog2017 post. Can you believe we’re almost done with February? Only 3 more LoveBlog prompts! Today’s prompt is “Past, Present, and Future.” Check out Brita’s introductory post to see the prompts for Monday and Tuesday.

This may be old news to some of you, but Pearson and I are high school sweethearts. We dated 6 years before we got married. That’s a long time. We started dating as juniors in high school and stayed together through those last two years and through four years of college before finally getting married after graduation.

I LOVE being married to my high school sweetheart! It’s my favorite thing in the world! But there are some people who think it’s a bad idea. I guess I’ll admit there are some actual cons. But they’re are many more “cons” that I’ve heard that just are not true.

So today I thought I’d give you some pros and cons of marrying your high school sweetheart. And I’ll also give my opinion on cons that aren’t really cons because this is my blog and I do what I want!

The PROS of marrying your high school sweetheart:

You know each other really well. You grew up together. You’ve been through a lot together. Even the angsty teenage years! You watched each other grow into the adults you are. You matured together and learned from each other and with each other through some very formative years.

You know each other’s families well. It always surprises me when someone tells me they’re meeting their serious boyfriend’s or even their fiance’s parents for the first time. I’m pretty sure I met Pearson’s parents the first time I met him. They were my family long before we were married. His siblings started picking on me and burping around me early on. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. His sister was only 6 when we started dating. She hardly knows him without me.

You most likely have zero (or very few) ex’s. There’s little room for jealousy. And usually not a lot of baggage.

You have almost all the same friends. Pearson and I met in our youth group at 12 years old. And both of us hung out mostly with the youth group. Sure we each had friends on our separate high schools, but of course we introduced each other to them. And then we went off to college together. For the most part we have all the same friends and it’s awesome!

You can truly be yourself around each other. I mean before we even dated, Pearson saw me at summer camp wearing baggy shorts that met the dress code with no makeup soaking wet from water sports. There’s not much I can keep from him. Nor do I want to!

The “CONS” of marrying your high school sweetheart (most of these aren’t actually cons imo):

You might get too comfortable. People like to say things like “Are you sure you’re not just marrying him because it’s the easy thing? Or because you feel like it’s just the next step?” Or they ask if we’re just together because we always have been or because people think it’s cute. Um… No. I married Pearson because I love him and he loves me.

You will probably have to wait a long time to get married (and have sex). Yes this one was true for us. We started dating at 16 and didn’t get married till 22. That’s a long time to date. And to abstain. It was tough, but it was worth it.

You might get married “too early” or “too young.” Some people even think 22 is “too young.” While we waited till we graduated from college, I know people who didn’t. And I would never tell them they were too young. When you know, you know. And everybody and evey relationship is different. I don’t think getting married at 18 guarantees divorce. It might make some aspects of a relationship more difficult, but it might also make some things easier.

You have no secrets or mystery. This goes along with knowing each other well from my pro list. Again, I don’t think this is a bad thing. Pearson knows everything about me and vice versa. And it’s an awesome feeling! We know what makes each other tick. We know how to speak each other’s language. And yet, we both still change and evolve all the time and we continue to learn about each other. As for the “mystery” aspect, trust me, there is still plenty of mystery and spontaneity!

You don’t get to know yourself without the other person. To be honest, I think the whole “getting to know yourself” can become a cop out answer for single people. No, you don’t need a significant other to be complete by any means. And I’m glad you’re learning about yourself. I learned about myself during college and my early adulthood. And I still am. I just had somebody by my side through it. Don’t shame me for that.

Again, I love being married to my high school sweetheart. The things we’ve been through together in the past have a huge effect on how we currently function as a couple. I wouldn’t want it any other way. And I know those things and the things we’re going through at this stage in our lives are gearing us up for a great future.

Do you think marrying your high school sweetheart is a good or bad idea? Link up any posts about past, present, and future below!
Thanks for reading!

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Brita – Blog // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Facebook // Bloglovin

Brita Long is the pink and sparkly personality behind the Christian feminist lifestyle blog, Belle Brita. While her first love will always be Paris, she lives happily with her husband Daniel Fleck in the Atlanta area.

Charlene – Blog // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Facebook // Bloglovin

Charlene is a 20 something wife and fur mamma living in Ohio. She uses her blog, “Enduring All Things” to inspire young wives to keep God first and their husbands second in everything they do.

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Alessia – Blog // Twitter // Instagram // Bloglovin

Alessia is a historian, social entrepreneur, political junkie and manquée professional comedian. Never to be seen in society without her standard Ray-ban Wayfarers, rose-gold iPhone and ash blonde Chelsea blow dry. Still the most (in)eligible Catholic bachelorette, with a love of fine wines, Jane Austen and all things beautiful. Mistaken by her own mother for Amy Pond from Doctor Who. Blogs about life in London at The Blond Pond.

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