Yesterday on my RSS feed, I got this disturbing article from Eliz­a­beth Oakes, The National Wedding Exam­iner from Examiner.com. She wrote about the coer­cion of young girls into marriage around the world. You may or may not have heard about move­ment to lower the marital age again. Read her article and see why it’s not such a great idea either for the little girls or for you.

Marriage matters. The free willed accep­tance of one respon­sible, loving partner by another is one of the most impor­tant choices and promises that indi­vid­uals ever make and keep. It is sacred when and because the deci­sion is made by respon­sible, loving part­ners. Same-​​sex marriages are sacred when the part­ners are respon­sible and loving. Hetero­sexual marriages are not sacred if one party has no say in her life, even if that marriage is made between a man and a woman(child).

For our marriages to be sacred, we must speak out against forced marriage. We must speak out against the enslave­ment of young girls. Every marriage should be as special as yours is. Every wedding should be as perfect.

Tip on the frog thing: My dears, if the frog doesn’t turn into a prince when you kiss him, don’t marry him. He’s not what you were looking for. This may be some of the best advice I’ve ever given!