...though I support freedom of choice for individuals overall, I certainly do not endorse child marriage, or even young adolescent marriage (one of the small number of things I disagree with Robert Epstein about; he is very pro-marriage). It's been discussed here often in the past, often by Humanist (where has he been for so long?) that the dynamics of man/girl love (and woman/girl love) in a society that tolerated it would most often be different from that of man/woman love as we now understand it. Since young girls change so quickly, and often fall out of love as fast as they fall into it, and many may have a need to "sow their oats" before considering something permanent with a single partner, it may benefit MAPs in such societies to be polyamorous.

The problem is, our society looks down on the very concept of polyamory, insisting that only within the bounds of a rigidly monoamorous relationship can genuine love and respect flourish. Granted, this does work for many. But there are many it does not work for, and it likely would not be ideal for many young girls in a youth liberated society. I do not see young girls as inherently inferior to adult women in any way, but I do acknowledge the needs of many would be different. MAPs would have to adjust accordingly, and many - if not most - of us are fully aware that the type of social expectations placed upon adults would not work so well in many cases with younger people, especially prepubescents.

Once again, I think so many young girls in our society put a heavy emphasis on "going steady" with a single boy (or girl) largely to avoid the dreaded "slut shaming" that members of both genders are so quick to throw at each other, and because they are ingrained with the societal insistence that monoamory is intrinsically morally superior to polyamory regardless of the individuals' personal needs. Further, boys or men who are not naturally suited to monoamory are accused of having "commitment issues" as a way of bullying or guilt-tripping them into trying monoamorous relationships, or worse, pretending to be okay with them to appease society and a girl/woman whose company he may particularly value. This makes him feel compelled to become a liar, and the girl/woman he pretended fealty with to suffer a heartbreak. Granted, some of these boys/men are shameless and self-serving "players," but I think there are many who genuinely caring and only enter these types of situations because they feel pushed into the proverbial corner.