Hey y'all.
So, I know this is going to sound ridiculous to most, as when most people think of marrying young they think 21-24.
However, I am in a predicament.
My best friend and I started dating 5 months ago, we've known each other for years and we knew each other very well when we began dating. The whole summer before we began dating, both our families were saying we were the "most dating-ness non dating couple" they'd ever met. The point is- we knew/know each other very very well.
Our families are both Christians and we very much are too. (More on this later.)
Back at the end of November, after we had been dating just over a month, we began discussing a real future with one another. Our families were very much up for it and even expected us to be engaged at Christmas. In fact, my dad was willing to give his blessing as long as we waited about a year before we got married.
My boyfriend very much wants to ask my father for permission to marry me (such a gentlemanly and respectful thing that I appreciate). We (my boyfriend and I) felt that perhaps Christmas was too soon, even though we were very excited and we also wanted to wait for him to ask my dad for my hand in marriage. The main reason being that my dad wants me to wait until I graduate high school (yes, I am that young), and my boyfriend and I respect that reasoning.
We have been having issues lately though with my boyfriend and parents. My parents love him deeply, and he loves them deeply, our families are close friends and have always gotten along.
My dad is from England and all of his brothers and sisters live in England still. It's rare when he sees them and he FaceTimes them once a week for an hour. This past Sunday was that day and at the same time, my boyfriend and I were heading out for a date. My boyfriend, extremely nervous to meet so much of my family at once, didn't speak to them. My dad was very upset by this and he, my mom, and siblings began saying things such as "If NAME really loved you, he would have wanted to meet all your aunts and uncles" and such. Something that made it worst is that one of my little sisters (she's 6 almost 7), was messing around and was being VERY rambunctious and not behaving well and my boyfriend didn't exactly snap when she wouldn't stop calling his name while he was in the middle of a conversation with me, but he said "What?" to her very snippy in front of my parents which upset them EVEN MORE.
Now, my parents are completely against him and we don't know what to do. He has apologized profusely and very humbly as he respects them and loves them very much and truly meant no harm. He wants to meet my aunts and uncles, but he was very nervous and now he feels horrible for being a "coward/chicken" as he calls himself, and he was already having a not so good day and my little sister can be quite annoying in his defense. However, it upset my parents to a point where my mother barely wants his name even spoken in the house and my siblings are saying horrible things about how he "doesn't love me" because he was afraid to speak to my aunts and uncles for the first time and that he accidentally snapped at one of our little sisters. (I have 7 sisters.)
We've both been praying very hard about this decision and we want to get engaged later this year and get married next year. We are both 17 as of right now and almost 18 and depending on when we get engaged later this year we will either be 17/18 or 18/18 and when we get married either 18/18, 18/19, or 19/19. (Yes, again, I know, YOUNG. However, we both know what we are getting into and that marriage is hard work. We aren't going into it expecting it to all be easy and full of rainbows and sunshine. My parents were married at 19/22 and his married at 21/22. We both know what we are getting into.)
But now, we are unsure if my dad will even give his blessing anytime in the next few years and my boyfriend respects them too much to marry me without his blessing, but we still want to plan on getting engaged this year and married next year.
What do we do?
Any advice/help/wisdom is VERY much appreciated!!
