Senior citizens: Is it true relationships with the opposite sex don't work out in your 20's? If so why?

[shipwreck]

I married at 19 divorced at 35 because I was stupid at 19 and picked a bad man. I believed marriage was for life so stayed way too long.

My grandmother married at 16 stayed married 54 years. Mom married at 19 stayed married 47 years. Little brother married at 18 to a 17 year old married 45 years so far and seem happy. Big bro is on his 6th marriage twice each to two wives. He was 65 when he married this one and he finally seem mature enough but wife is incredible women he better not blow it or we are keeping her in the divorce. We still are friends with his first wive but they were very immature married her when he was 21 she was 18 and they both failed at marriage. He was in the service so seldom home, she cheated but I am sure he did too. She seems happy with her third husband it has been 30 years for them, really nice guy.

[Spanky]

lack of realism, idealistic views, impending boredom, fights over money & sex, petty jelousies… and just plain selfishness - plenty enuf reasons for failure… though some work and are stronger for having gone through the tough times of youth…

[sabrina]

Relationships, no matter what age, fail because the two people concerned, no longer wish to try and communicate with one another. Communication requires active listening from both parties.

I met my husband at school. Unknown to each other, we had been sizing each other up for a few months, he was in none of my classes. Chance should have it that we met at a party one of my friends held. He walked me home that night, just 1km, then he walked home 2km more. We have been together ever since.

He appeared to have a shyness about him, even though he could be quite outgoing at times. When our first born was about four, I came to understand my husbands 'shyness' better. Our son has Asperger Syndrome and my husband is a PDD-NOS. My husband and I attended many 'marriage encountered' events, couples communication courses and counselling. He learnt to own his own feelings and that they are separate to other peoples feelings. Soon he was able to see that there is not only black and white, but gray as well. One day at the last couple communication course we attended, about 9 years ago he told the group about 'how he had grown over the years to see both sides of a story - there is not just black and white, but varying shades of gray and many colours as well'.

Our son had several different types of therapy for his ASD including OT, PT, ST, CBT and of course incidental learning. I never made an example of him, nor made/caused him to think he was any different from anyone else. He was and still is a very popular and witty young man close to your age.

One of things that my boyfriend and I wished for in our relationship, while we were still in our teens, was to make the world a better place, by the way we lived and how we would raise our offspring. I feel we have/are living that.

Of course, I am lucky, my husband and son have very mild ASD. Your exboy'friend' however is a sociopath. And so is his new girlfriend. [By the way, your facebook account is set to 'public'.]