“But even 130 years ago, it was still pretty creepy for the 14 year old girl to marry a mature man and do his bidding. My daughter and I listen to the Little House on the Prairie books in the car.”
Well, that settles it. Little House on the Prairie is binding authority on human norms through the ages.
I found it interesting because I am sure it was a memory Laura had from childhood, that some girls that young, probably poorer girls with less options, were married off in their early teens, and that she couldnt fathom it at that same age. I do feel that young teen girls as much as they love to play grownup really need some more parenting and nurturing and developing before they become a wife.