“I Can” Comes Before “I Do”

Finances and a general sense of overall ‘security’ are THE reason people stay in unhappy marriages, in my experience. That’s why I believe it’s important to never marry someone (much less have children) until you can afford the lifestyle you want on your own. If marrying someone increases your lifestyle or income, that’s fine—since two incomes almost always do—but your life ought to be at a point where you know you can support yourself even if you didn’t have the marriage. Otherwise you’re trapped if the long-range relationship doesn’t work out, emotionally.