(The question of the week was: When should a person get married? Here are just a few of your responses.)
Dear Dr. Date:
When is the best time to get married? Every single person views marriage from a totally different perspective. You, the individual, are the best judge of when you feel it is right to consider marriage. One of my longtime friends married at the age of 19 after two years of dating and she and her husband are extremely happy. My aunt, on the other hand, was unhappily married to her first spouse for 18 years and finally divorced him.
— Waiting for My Time

Dear Dr. Date,
First, one must reach a point in his/her life where s/he is mature enough to commit to a lifelong relationship. Too often, people assume that if things don’t work out, they can just get a divorce. The second thing that needs to happen is to meet the right person to settle down with. Too often, people reach the first step (or are in the delusion they have reached that step) and commit themselves to the person they are presently dating.
— Still Searching

Dear Dr. Date,
I am getting married this summer after graduation. I have heard all of the arguments against getting married young and all the arguments for it. But I think it comes down to this: There is no “right time” to get married — or to do anything in life. One should get married when one feels ready and believes one has found the person with whom one wants to spend the rest of one’s life.
— Ready
Dear Dr. Date,
You know you are ready for marriage when:
1. You know who YOU are, you’re comfortable with yourself, you make your own decisions, you’ve got a positive outlook on life and you’re ready for a journey.
2. You don’t NEED the other person. You WANT the other person.
3. The two of you compliment one another.
4. The attraction has been cultivated over time and is built upon a foundation consisting of trust, communication and making mature decisions.
5. You accept the other person the way they are, you’re comfortable with them and you don’t need to change anything about them.
— ##14

Dear Dr. Date,
Marriage should only be considered if there are some real-world benefits involved, such as tax reduction, health care coverage, a child’s welfare, etc. Otherwise, I’m all for cohabitation without a legal blessing. In Sweden, where cohabitation is common and not frowned upon, there is even a charming word for people who live together outside of marriage. (The term is “Sambo,” but has none of the racist connotations of the English word. It means cohabitants.)
— Word