Yes, it is different in the South. Although I would say that it can also depend on the area of the state. People who grow up in larger cities seem to be on the fast track for career advancement, while people who are raised in smaller towns (especially in rural areas) still tend to marry much younger. When I graduated from high school at the age of 16 there was already one girl who was married and several others who were engaged. My mother married at the age of 13 in 1946 and had her first child at the age of 15. She gave birth to her 4th child at the age of 20 and her 6th at the age of 29. She became a grandmother at the age of 34. My older brother married 10 days before his 18th birthday. He is the oldest of the 6 kids in my family. I was 21 before I had my first child and became a grandmother at age 40. I am now raising 3 of my grandkids (ages 19, 16 and 15). The funny part is that no one questions that I am their mother (I have adopted them, so they are legally my children). I have also been told many times that I don't look my age, so perhaps that helps in the present time. I am 59 now.
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Yes, it is different in the South. Although I would say that it can also depend on the area of the state. People who grow up in larger cities seem to be on the fast track for career advancement, while people who are raised in smaller towns (especially in rural areas) still tend to marry much younger. When I graduated from high school at the age of 16 there was already one girl who was married and several others who were engaged. My mother married at the age of 13 in 1946 and had her first child at the age of 15. She gave birth to her 4th child at the age of 20 and her 6th at the age of 29. She became a grandmother at the age of 34. My older brother married 10 days before his 18th birthday. He is the oldest of the 6 kids in my family. I was 21 before I had my first child and became a grandmother at age 40. I am now raising 3 of my grandkids (ages 19, 16 and 15). The funny part is that no one questions that I am their mother (I have adopted them, so they are legally my children). I have also been told many times that I don't look my age, so perhaps that helps in the present time. I am 59 now.
August 30, 2011 - 11:59pmThis Comment
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