And what does this mean for us guys who would actually LIKE TO get married??
Work on you. A successful relationship is an inside job. You will attract what you become.
IMHO, it means that you had better wait and be DAMN sure that the one you decide to marry is the right one. Though you will never know for sure if it is, take every precaution that you can that person will be as dedicated as you. I wasn't sure until I lost my job and was unemployed for a year, she stuck by me and supported me while we were dating. I got back on my feet, married her, and will forever do my best to give her the world.
To 18...It could be your tagline?
well, I hear there is a whole lot of unattached wimmin out there
I'll give you the same advice I give my daughter...
1. Honestly study yourself without judgment. (If you tend to be bossy, take a note of that. If you tend to be clingy, take a note of that.)
2. Figure out what type of woman would be the most compatible with you. (If you are the romantic type, you won't do well with an independent woman.)
3. Make a list (using your prior analysis of yourself and wisdom gleaned from experience) that has 2 columns. In the first column you write "MUSTS". In the second column write ""NOTS". BE SPECIFIC. (Yes, I even include the physical here, but [for me] I tried not to be *too* specific to keep the field as open as possible. Mine said, "Bigger than me. Not skinny.")
4. Keep your list with you. Date as much as possible. After every date, go back to the list and see if your date fit the bill. You'll find out more about them the more you date them.
This is how I identified my husband at 19. I dated like crazy for about three months. Some of the guys lasted about two weeks before I found out they had something on my "not" list and dumped them. I was skeptical of my husband, but happily surprised when, after our second month, I found that he fit the bill hand-in-glove.
I spent the next 7 months trying to convince *him* that I was what he'd been looking for! LOL!
How does love fit in here? Well, I found that it's easy to love someone you get along with and respect. If I hadn't been attracted to him, we never would've had a second date. (Yes, attraction was on my list.)
But, had it not been for this list, I never would've "seen" him for what he was. This guy is really scary. He's the large, leather-clad, growling, quiet type who frightens small children, cats and "good" girls. He cusses like a soldier which makes him appear unintelligent, but he's actually the most intelligent man I've ever known... which I found out after I actually engaged him in conversation and forced him to talk! (I tease that I was attracted to his *sigh* HUGE vocabulary! LOL!)
So... you're going to shop intelligently, with logic and with the resolve that you won't settle. I decided when I made my list that I'd rather be alone than with the wrong person. I was the product of multiple divorces in childhood and that I didn't want that for my children. (In many ways, I was looking for a father for my kids as well as a husband for myself.)
And you're going to break your own heart a LOT along the way. You'll find someone who is *perfect* in every way but one. One important way. And you'll end it. And you'll hurt, but know you've done the right thing and move on.
*That* is how to choose a mate. One word of warning. If the list isn't honest and realistic, the whole plan falls apart before it gets off the ground.