Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The Retreat From Marriage for Young Adults-No Surprise to Me!

In an article which appeared in today's New York Times titled, "Financial Security Is Increasingly Trumping Marriage, Report Says," by Claire Miller it states that "Twenty percent of adults older than 25, about 42 million people have never married, up from 9 percent in 1960 according to data in a Pew Research Center report." I know about this trend firsthand as I have two young adult sons, who I'm praying will marry soon. Of course, I want them to be happy and find the right person, to enjoy their future with. Thankfully they both have wonderful girlfriends who I am fond of, but whether it's fear of commitment or the need to be financially secure, or the cost of getting married, which is exorbitant in NY or all of the above, I'm waiting patiently for the day at least one of them tells me they're getting engaged. After all, I want grandchildren to spoil and love while I'm still young enough to enjoy them. Perhaps I want them to get married for selfish reasons but I do believe that marriage provides a stable environment, when filled with love, care and companionship and I want that for my sons.
My friends tell me to be more patient and they'll get married when they're ready but I'm one of those mothers who are a part of the above statistic who wants to see my sons married, sooner than later.
Apparently many young adults say (according to the article) they haven't married yet because they are not financially prepared. Marriage was once "a stepping stone to economic stability," now young adults want to be financially secure first which is difficult in this economic climate. In New York City the cost of renting or owning a property have reached ridiculous and unrealistic levels. One bedroom apartments in trendy NYC neighborhoods are selling for over $400,000 and sometimes much more than that. And rents are soaring too.
So I'll just keep praying that my sons get married in the next couple of years, so I can one day experience the joy of having grandchildren.
NJA