Basic HTML Version
Program
for
Failure:
Teen-age
•
arr1age
Why do half of al/ teen–
age marri ages end in
divorce within five years?
This article gives seven
basic reasons that often
contribute to the high
failure rate among teen-
age marriages.
by
Patrick A. Pa rnell
A
TEEN·AGE
couple - we will call
r\_
them Richard and Susan - were
very much in !ove. At least they
thought they were. But the ir marriage
did not work out as they had hoped.
Their tragic story is told by Susan:
"He was seventeen and l was sixteen
when we met," she wrote. "We had
both dated bcfore, but when I saw him
it was different. It was !ove at first
sight. He seemed like the most hand–
some man I'd ever met.
"We dated steadily weekend after
weekend, entertaining and being en–
tertained. By the time we were high
school seniors we both knew it was
!ove. We wantcd to get married.
"1 originally planned to attend the
university, but the thought of more
school away from him d iscouraged me.
1 wanted to get married right away, but
he wanted to wait. 1 won out.
"Wc knew our parents expected us to
go to college, but after talking it over
with my boyfriend, we decidcd
1
should
become pregnant! It was the only way
our parents would allow us to get
married.
"Marriage soon followed, but not
be–
fore tremendous family turmoil and ani–
mosity erupted bctween both sets of
parents. I suffered fear, bittcrness and