Growing up as a girl, I was told that a woman is supposed to wear six dresses at every milestone; the first dress you wear at birth, the school uniform, the graduation gown, the wedding dress, the maternity dress and lastly the dress you are buried in. These dresses are to be worn in chronological order and so the minute school is done and the graduation gown has been worn, the next is the wedding gown. The pressure to find a partner is real because our parents want to be able to also hold their grandchildren when they are still able bodied.

Parents start to ask when you will be introducing them to their future in laws and the pressure can even get to you that you might be forced to run into marriage to get them off your back. However, before you give in to the pressure, you must understand that marriage is a long life commitment between you, your partner and God. It does not make sense to get into marriage and then run away a couple of years later.

As we grow, our parents become more of our friends than when we were young. It is therefore easy to have an open conversation with them. It is at times when you are talking that you can come to a common ground and explain that you are not ready for marriage or you haven’t found the person with whom you would want to spend the rest of your life.

The best way to handle the pressure is simply by communicating effectively with your parents. It is important that your parents understand the goals you have set in your life. Most of the time if they do not know your goals, marriage is the first thing they think is suitable for you. Simply communicate and the pressure will lessen and when you tell them that you are ready for marriage they will be enthusiastic.