Happily ever after

Here we sit, the day after Easter. Because of the recent holiday, we have to admit that there's a strong urge to talk about a recent appearance by one JC, apparently deciding to show his face on a maple leaf found a few years back by a Massachusetts woman. Well, it was either JC or Bob Marley, depending on who you ask.

But how often do you see stories about a religious figure appearing in some every day object? It just seems so commonplace. Instead, we found a story talking about a recent study in happiness, especially as it pertains to married individuals versus the unmarried section of the public. According to the study, married people are much happier.

But we didn't pack up our tools quite yet, as we're fairly certain that we found at least one couple that won't really fit with the study. By that token, though, how many 8-year-olds really are ready for the commitment of marriage, especially to someone almost 50? If only they could have taken this scenario to the courts, and get it overturned.

Oh wait. They did. The Saudi Arabian court system decided that the marriage, which was orchestrated to help pay off some debts, was perfectly legal. But there is a saving grace. Once the girl hits puberty, she can look towards getting a divorce. Because, even if it turns out to be a happy marriage, waiting until the girl becomes a moody teenager for her to make such a decision is guaranteed to have great repercussions.

Seriously, though, it just seems hard to believe that any court out there would decide that a marriage to an 8-year-old is legal and should be upheld. Sure, it's a different society, and they have some different values when it comes to things, but it would seem like protecting children would be some sort of through-line. Especially when the marriage only happened because the girl's father was trying to pay off his debts.

Thankfully, the girl's mother is looking to fight this marriage at every step. This isn't just a case of a crazy mother-in-law, by a long shot. Her child was basically sold, and was sold at such a young age that this could do serious damage to her development.

We don't even want to think about what kind of person would want a child bride. We really thought that such fascination had faded along with things like the crossbow and the Black Plague.