I got married at 21 to the man I knew since I was 5 years old. We dated other people in high school and college and found our way back together. We’ll be married 29 years in October.
Was it easy, NO. Was it fun, YES. We look back on those times as some of the best. We struggled to pay off student loans and other bills, find careers and jobs that fit, started saving for future, and had a great time building our lives together.
The caveat in our marriage is that we didn’t have a child until we were married 10 years. We had ten years to travel, play, work, and grow before welcoming a child into our lives. I think that made us better spouses and better parents.
We were 23 and met when we were 3. Similar to your story we dated other people and found our way back to each other, even against the odds.
We have always said our marriage is the will of God in our lives and it still is. We struggled through college, grad school and law school. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it and I cannot imagine being with anyone one else.
We also still very much in love act like newlyweds which annoys our families. lol