:: MarwaRakha :: - IDENTITY MAGAZINE - Ask Marwa: My daughter is 18 and wants to get married
Dear Marwa
I met my current husband when I was 16. We fell in love and dated for 2 years then we got married when I was 18. We left Egypt and now we have been married for 20 years. We have a daughter who is turning 18 in a few months; she is in love and wants to get married. When she told me that she wants to get married I was furious! I suddenly realized that I do not want her to make my mistake. I got married when I was exactly her age and now I am a 38 year old wife, and mother, who hates her life. I feel that I was robbed of my life; I never dated as a teenager, I never knew how it feels to have a college sweetheart because I was already married when I went to college, I married the first man I fell in love with, I had a daughter when I was 20, I never got a chance to work, I never got a chance to explore the world and what life has to offer, I never travelled anywhere alone, I never lived on my own - I have never lived at all. I listen to my friends from my school days talk about their lives and I envy them for their experiences - good or bad! I do not want this life for my daughter. My husband is a great man; very responsible and very loving but I do not love him anymore. I am even considering getting a divorce.
Ola.