If you get married very young, there's always a chance you may feel like you're missing out. Especially if your friends are out having fun; while you're already a mom, having sleepless nights for very different reasons. It does help if your partner gives you the freedom to take some time out with your girlfriends now and again.
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But one man has been left wondering if he gave his wife enough rope to hang herself with. Or himself, for that matter. He says she recently returned from a girls' trip and has been acting very strange ever since. The way he described it has some people convinced that she's cheating. But the man is not quite sure that's the case.
His wife went on a girls' trip and came back a completely different woman
He suspects something's up but is too afraid to confront her in case he makes things worse
"Textbook for infidelity": Many were convinced that the wife had cheated
"I believe her": After speaking to his wife, the man said he'd gotten to the bottom of it
Just three days later, the husband revealed there had been a shocking turn of events
People felt that the woman wasn't showing any remorse
In a final update, he revealed that he'd be seeking 'professional help'
The downside of marrying young, according to experts
In 1960, it was quite normal for men to get married at 23 for women to wed as young as 20. But nowadays, people are waiting a lot longer to tie the knot. According to data from the Bowling Green State University National Center for Family & Marriage Research, the average (median) age to get married for the first time in the United States is 30.5 years for men and 28.6 years for women. A survey conducted by The Knot puts the age even higher, noting that in 2025, the average age of marriage in the US was 32.
And for good reason…
“The brain doesn’t fully mature until around age 25. This includes the part that handles planning, risk assessment, boundaries, and identity,” explains Melissa Hill, a licensed therapist who specializes in helping individuals and families heal from religious trauma. “When young women get married too young, they’re making permanent choices without the tools to understand long term consequences.”
Hill reveals that many women who married too young describe feeling like they were on autopilot, following a script they didn’t fully understand. “Without a clear sense of self, it becomes harder to recognize unhealthy patterns,” warns the expert. “Over time, this can lead to codependent marriage, where one person’s identity becomes wrapped up in managing someone else’s needs.”
Another downside of marrying too young is that many (or most) people in their very early 20s either haven’t started working yet or aren’t established in their career. This can come back to bite them later.
“Without education, income, or a career to fall back on, options narrow. Leaving becomes harder. Setting boundaries feels risky,” Hill says. “This is why so many women feel trapped in marriage, even when they still love their partner. The trapped feeling often comes from the lack of alternatives rather than problems in the relationship itself.”
Hill cautions that financial access functions as a safety mechanism. And when women, in particular, marry too young without this safety mechanism in place, they can be at risk of chronic anxiety, resentment, and disconnection in their marriage.
"I was a woman unleashed": a first-hand experience of marrying young and divorcing 10 years later
“I certainly didn’t think I was marrying young. We had been together for six years, lived together for four and had even moved across the country as a couple. I felt grown. Capable. Confident,” Arends says, adding that it was only after the marriage ended that she became aware of some of the repercussions of marrying young.
One thing she realized after getting divorced is that youth is characterized by growth and change. "Yet, if you’re already in an established relationship, you may find yourself hesitant to explore your beliefs and interests because of the threat that personal transformations may have on your relationship," Arends explains.
She also reveals how repressed and restricted she'd felt.
"I will never forget the strange sense of mania that possessed me during my divorce. I was a woman unleashed," Arends writes. "Many people that marry young have a feeling of being held back by their marriage or their spouse. They can feel frustrated or restless within the bounds of their marriage and they may look for ways to act out or push for more freedom."
The author notes that there can also be a feeling of missing out or having never experienced.
"When you marry young and settle down at the time when others are stepping out, you can believe – either accurately or not – that you’ve missed out on important experiences and milestones of youth that others have enjoyed," Arends says. "These thoughts can be persuasive and even become all-consuming."
People were divided, with some calling the wife "trash" and others saying she deserves forgiveness
