Love and marriage have changed in my time on earth. Rules have blurred since I was a teenager.

Upon my first marriage I was only 21 years old. God gave me 43 years with Cindy, the bride of my youth. After her passing, He blessed me again and now Julie and I have been married nearly seven years.

If my ciphering is correct, I have been married for more than two-thirds of my life. That’s fine with me. I’m not the brightest bulb in the string but I do know a few things about love and marriage and I know that marriage is a good thing when you are married to the right person.

When you’re a kid you can have distorted views of love and marriage. In my own youth I was keen on girls but I don’t recall giving much thought to a lifetime with one.

A few years ago someone asked a group of children what they thought about love and marriage. Here are some of their responses —

QUESTION: How does a person decide who to marry?

“You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports and she should keep the chips and dip coming.” ­– Allan, age 10

“No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before and you got to find out later who you’re stuck with.” –Kirsten, age 10

QUESTION: What is the proper age to get married?

“No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married!” –Freddie, age 6

“Eighty-four! Because at that age you don’t have to work anymore and you can spend all your time loving each other in your bedroom.” — Carolyn, age 8

QUESTION: How can a stranger tell if two people are married?

“You might have to guess based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.” — Derrick, age 8

QUESTION: What do you think your mom and dad have in common?

“Both don’t want no more kids.” –Lori, age 8

QUESTION: What do most people do on a date?

“Dates are for having fun and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.” — Lynnette, age 8

“On the first date they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.” — Martin, age 10

QUESTION: When is it okay to kiss someone?

“The rule goes like this: if you kiss someone then you should marry them and have kids with them. It’s the right thing to do.” — Howard, age 8

QUESTION: Is it better to be single or married?

“I don’t know which is better, but I’ll tell you one thing, I’m never going to have sex with my wife. I don’t want to be all grossed out!” — Theodore, age 8

“It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need somebody to clean up after them!” — Anita, age 9

QUESTION: How important are beauty or good looks in a marriage?

“It isn’t always just how you look. Look at me. I’m handsome like anything and I haven’t got anybody to marry me yet.” –Brian, age 7

QUESTION: “What advice do you have for a young couple about to be married?

“The first thing I’d say to them is, ‘Listen up, youngins… I got something to say to you. Why in the heck do you wanna get married anyway?'”— Craig, age 9

QUESTION: How do you make a marriage work?

“Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck!” — Ricky, age 7

“If you want to last with your man, you should wear a lot of sexy clothes, especially underwear that is red and maybe has a few diamonds on it.” — Lori, age 8

QUESTION: How would the world be different if people didn’t get married?

“There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn’t there?” — Kelvin, age 8

Children may have quicker, more colorful answers to weighty questions than adults but, oh, the surprises that await them.