Maybe the elders think that:
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Since they can’t seem to get through to their boy/girl…that a spouse might be able to succeed better.
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That having a spouse and a family will “compel” the boy/girl to become more responsible. Make me think of putting the person in a “sink or swim” situation and then crossing your fingers in the hope that they’ll swim.
It can and has worked for someone people. But it also needs to be considered that if an individual is already struggling with basic responsibilities…then there’s no guarantee that definitely be able to handle the even bigger load of obligations that a marriage brings. And if the hope is that marriage will cure bad habits of the boy/girl, then it needs to be considered that bad habits can die hard…and may transfer over to a marriage…where it will then affect even more people. More power to the people for whom this strategy worked.