Balanced. Refreshing. Wholesome. Well Done. I liked this piece a lot.

Numerous surveys based on success in marriage report the best age for commencing marriage to be around 23 or 24. Some in your report suggested waiting few years after the teens that would get a person near that age.

One young lady in your report spoke with considerable dedication and showed a determination to the maturity required in marriage to stick out the rought parts and times of marriage (that certainly come for all as just a part of life -- and not bad for us really if we persevere and handle those times right). The husband to be was not heard, but from hearing the young lady, I believe she probably picked a young man with similar character to hers and I would think her chances of doing well and the two of them sticking with it are probably very good.

The example of my own parents gives some support to the young lady's persuasion that she and her husband -to-be will do well. My dad was 20 and my mom 19 when they married in 1946. In Alabama, we had a funny law then. A man had to be 21 but a lady only 18 to marry without parental consent. My mom qualified but my dad did not. However, my dad had spent over two years overseas fighting as a paratrooper (one who returned alive) in WW2 and then lived through being sniped at during the post war as part of the military-police occupation forces in Germany. When the judge asked my dad's age and my dad explained his military service, the judge pretended to be distracted and never made my dad answer about his age. But, here's the point.

The marriage worked very well. My folk were married for 58 years before my mom died in September 2004. The day before she died, she said some words that amazed me and made me very happy to hear them. Not only was I happy to hear her say she had three wonderful children, but the most beautiful part was to hear the way she said, "I love Daddy [meaning my dad, her husband]." And then she died -- again, after 58 years of good times, hard times but ending with a feeling of contentment and happiness and joy for my mom.

The teens I heard on your report from Alaska, from the sound in their voices, seem to have the same grit that my mom and dad had. I wish these kids well and I wouldn't stop their determination. I would just say stay willing to work through the hard times as my folk did and as my mom said, it's worth it all.

Very excellent piece! Best wishes to those teens getting married!