Josephine Oguntoyinbo

S ome people have learned a bitter lesson in their marriage because they have ,one time or the other ,tried to escape some important steps towards a fulfilled or blissful home due to lack of understanding of what they are about to venture into.

Thousands of people have become a deportee from marriages  because they all failed to put courtship as an important factor to be considered before going into marriage.

People do not realise that the reason why most marriages of this 21st century failed is because most  people believed that without proper courtship, the marriage can work.ln as much as the marriage is not about two perfect people being matched together, however, getting to know each other is still relevant.

Proper courtship before marriage is an important thing homes would need before the marriage can work and develop ,without it, a marriage will just be a child play or a fast food joint where everybody can come and leave.

Courtship is generally known as the relationship between a man and a woman with the aim of marrying each other. Again,It can also be described as the important period during which a man and a woman develop a close relationship before getting married.

It is a period during which a couple develops a romantic relationship before getting married and it is said to be very crucial for any relationship and marriage. This is the time when a couple gets to know each other and decides if they are fit to build a life together.

Whereas some couples are lucky to build happy marriages even after knowing each other for a very short period of time, but it is always recommended to take enough time, at least a year, before marrying your partner so as to equally give each other enough time to study and understand all that is needed.

This will create enough space to test each other’s compatibility and decide on whether you are both willing to withstand each other’s weaknesses.

Courtship helps build some excitement around your partner and the relationship you will be getting into. The courtship period allows you to express your feelings and gives you time to prepare yourself and your partner for a beautiful relationship.

Relationship at this level is very important, genuine and vital as it gives an insight into the structure of the proposed home, because if you fail at this stage and you still go ahead , there is a probability that you will fail maritally.

The real purpose of courtship is to know the real person your proposed spouse / partner is, and to decide whether you will be able to cope with his or her weaknesses or not for  the rest of your life. Because, it is far better to fail or break the courtship than for you to fail in marriage and generate a broken home/Marriage.

It brings about being more exposed to each other’s background, become accustomed to each other’s habits, alignment of purposes ,shared dreams, beliefs, ideals and values.

The decision you take at this level is very crucial and important to you because it affects every other thing in your life, in one way or the other, it determines a lot of things for your future. Therefore, you need to know the right step to be taken at the right time.

In other words,the process of courtship seeks to avoid many of the pitfalls that often exist in relationships. Courtship is a commitment to honor and protect both individuals in the process of getting to know one another. Because each person, family, and set of circumstances is unique.

Marriage is an institution that you never graduate from, therefore ,do not joke with proper and sound courtship before you say “l do”.