18 Years of Age

     Photo Credit: Hannah Anderson

     So grown men still do this. I'm gonna be honest, it kinda grosses me out a little.

     This especially hurts my heart because I work with teen girls, and they are absolutely precious to me. They're like my babies.

     I see and hear every week, how vulnerable they truly are and how leery or too trusting they are regarding the intentions of men. Even with the "mature" 18 year old girls, there's still a lot of life yet to be learned.

     Anyone over 25 that is seriously dating an 18 year old, needs to convince me that they are not a pervert.

     Sorry. I know I sound like Judge Judy on this one.

     Am I alone in this?

     I know "age ain't nothin' but a number", but dang, it's still a number.

     I mean, the thought of me dating a 21 year old makes me dizzy.

     It's just, when I think of an 18 year old, that means that last year, she was 17...and yes, by other standards in other places, she's more than fit and ready to marry an older man. But somehow, ingrained in my head is that men who love young young girls, love young, young, young girls.

     You see where I'm going with this.

     So I go from 0 to 100. I basically assume that you have serious immaturity or self-control issues and you may be a child molester. I know, this is absolutely horrible and wrong for me to even go there, but that's what my mind does.

     And why do I judge so harshly? The beauty of innocence is often too quickly destroyed in a lifetime and especially in our overtly sexual culture. But the harder question to ask, is towards myself. Am I reflecting or projecting my own immaturity and lack of self-control in other areas of my life towards individuals that may be seemingly in a real loving and legitimate relationship?

      I know that one can fall in love at practically any age. And believe it or not, more than a couple of my friends got married at 18 and 19 years old (Some to men older than themselves). I'm just observing, that as I get older, the wives and girlfriends of my guy friends seem to get younger and younger. Ha.

     But look, if God is the foundation of your union, and the chemistry between the two of you is legit, and you've found out that your purpose to serve and love people as a couple is better and more powerful than if you were apart and single, then yes, I'll swallow my pride, and I'll support you-- all the way.

Wisdom's Knocking: 

"Forget all the reasons why it won't work, and believe the one reason why it will." 

-Unknown