|
I would never live with anyone before having at least a ring AND a date (which I currently do have but still have not moved in yet). It's so funny to me when people say, "you need to get to know that person." What the hell have you been doing throughout the relationship? If you date long enough, spend enough time together, experience various situations together (good and bad), you will learn majority of what you need to know. Anything else you learn should be petty enough that you will be able to deal with it. If you get married and shortly thereafter, realize that you can't deal with things about that person, then you never knew that person to begin with and probably had no business talking marriage.
I believe living together ruins the chances of even getting married. Both people are living together knowing in the back of their minds that they can leave the other one at any time because there is no real commitment. They are not living together with the mindset that two married, committed people would. Married people would be more likely to work through whatever situations they encounter and be more accepting of one another because they know it is to be forever. Two people "shacking up" would be more likely to leave the situation quicker when confronted with situations because there's nothing really keeping them there and in their minds they think and know "he/she's just a girl/boyfriend. Not my wife/husband. There's more fish in the sea". And you know good and well, that someone shacking up would be quick to say, "You're not my wife/husband". And then it's like what's the point of ACTING like it if you're not?
|