After “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown posted an apparent engagement announcement Tuesday morning, a small gaggle of internet trolls rushed to condemn the 19-year-old actress as too young to begin a marriage with 20-year-old fiancé Jake Bongiovi, causing “She’s 19” to trend on Twitter. But the truth is, Brown and Bongiovi could do far worse than partake in an institution that statistically makes its participants happier, better, and more successful.
I have no way of knowing if Brown and Bongiovi are “ready” to get married. Plenty of 19-year-olds are, plenty aren’t. While one would hope age translates to more maturity, there are 19-year-olds out there with a far healthier grasp of marriage than the unhappy 40-somethings and 50-somethings populating Hollywood (and the rest of the world) who were too absorbed with “self-love” and girl-bossery to ever give matrimony a shot. For all we know, Brown is one of the former.
Entered with the right perspective, marriage matures you and enables you to grow alongside your spouse, being used for each other’s sanctification and recognizing your need for grace — rather than postponing marriage until you have everything “figured out,” only to realize you never will. It’s a weighty and holy covenant that should not be entered into lightly, but it’s also a covenant designed for imperfect, unfinished people. If you expect to be done maturing by the time you say, “I do,” your marriage won’t be a happy one.
The maturity and quality of the person you choose
