Dear Annie: Our teen daughter is too young to get married

Dear Annie: My 19-year-old daughter — she’ll be 20 in July — is a sophomore at Charleston College. She came home for spring break and informed my husband and me that she had found her soul mate at Charleston, and they plan to marry this summer. He’s 24 and a graduate student teaching English.

She wants to go back to school in the fall as husband and wife. How they plan to support themselves we have no idea. Should we try to talk her out if it? We’ve already told her we think it’s a mistake. — Disapproving

Dear Disapproving: Have a candid conversation with your daughter about all of the reasons why you think she is too young for marriage. Explain to her that, if they are truly soul mates, there is no harm in waiting at least until she is out of school.

If she still decides to go through with it, then you should support her with love but not money. Nineteen is old enough to make your own mistakes. Let her know that she will be receiving no financial support from you or your husband. If she wants to have all the freedom of being an adult, then she also needs to accept all the responsibility.

Dear Annie: I’ve been a mail carrier for the past two years. I know one of my fellow carriers is drinking on the job. I actually saw his truck parked near a neighborhood bar one afternoon. I don’t want to be a rat. But most of us work pretty hard every day. I don’t know how this guy finds the time to hang out and it bugs me. Should I report him? — Worried Behind the Wheel

Dear Worried: You should definitely report him — not because you’re frustrated by his hanging out at a bar during work time, but for the safety of others. It’s a hazard for the whole community to have a drunk mailman wreaking havoc on the roads. If you don’t report him, it could be only a matter of time before he hurts himself or somebody else. Take action before it’s too late. Reporting him anonymously ensures you won’t be involved any further once you’ve notified the right people.

View prior ‘Dear Annie’ columns

“How Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner?” is out now! Annie Lane’s second anthology — featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit Creators Publishing for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to [email protected].