There’s no romance in being a child bride. And whether the “groom” is R. Kelly, with his marriage to 15-year-old Aaliyah, your great-grandmother, or Justine (name changed for protection)—a minor married to a man twice her age in the state of Maryland—more often than not, these marriages are a form of child abuse … government-sanctioned child abuse, in some states.
Child marriage remains legal in well over half of all U.S. states, with over 300,000 minors married between 2000 and 2018. Every year, hundreds of children of every gender, ethnicity and religious background are married, with no regard for their consent. “Groom” might be the technical term in these marriages, but “grooming” is more accurate.
The great irony I find is that the scriptures encourage not pursuing romance and marriage until after the “bloom of youth”… basically, wait until you are fully mature and no longer ravenously thirsty for it, as teenagers and early 20’s often are.
It’s rather sad that parents are trying to push their kids to start families before they’re even out of high school or gotten into college/trade school/work yet. What makes them think their kid will be able to juggle the attention needed to be a good marriage partner while also putting everything they got into school or trying to get work? Especially if they have kids early on?