LeBron James and his longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson tied the knot this past weekend, an event that “some folks” considered too long in the making. You might have heard some of the murmuring: “What took him so long? They’ve been together since high school, they have two kids together, she’s already uprooted her life once by trading in everything she knew in Ohio to be by his side in Miami. What more did she have to do to get a ring?”
I admit I used to be one of those people. I always thought Savannah was a nice woman and LeBron should “lock that down” as soon as possible. But now I’m a little older and wiser and my perspective on the matter (namely, when people should get married) has changed.
Having a baby with someone is the ultimate commitment. Once I found myself pregnant with my boyfriend’s baby, everything in that instant changed. Even though we were strongly committed to each other, seeing those lines appear on the pregnancy test made everything even less casual. Suddenly, I knew that this guy would be in my life until we were dead and gone. No matter what happened between us, there would always be something (someone, rather) walking around to remind us of our union. There is nothing more permanent than that.
With LeBron and Savannah, it’s easy to see why they didn’t rush down the aisle as soon as Savannah was pregnant with LeBron Jr. eight years ago, particularly if you add in the fact that LeBron has probably never seen an intact, healthy marriage up close and personal. Who says marriage is the right choice if you’ve never see marriage be the right choice for anyone you know?
While I know I might feel more secure with a ring on my finger if I were in a relationship with an NBA superstar, being married has never deterred a groupie or reduced the amount of temptation a basketball player might face. Shaunie O’Neal, ex-wife of Shaquille O’Neal, talked about the infidelity that plagued her marriage and O’Neal himself even said he was “a guy with too many options.” While those “options” should disappear after you say “I do,” the reality is that they often don’t. Compare LeBron to his teammate Dwyane Wade, who married his high school girlfriend in college only to see their union fizzle after a few years in the league. So maybe LeBron did something right after all?
What’s most important to me is that they respect each other and the family they’ve made. I don’t know LeBron or Savannah but I wish them well. It couldn’t have been easy being a young mom in the spotlight, but if the photos on her Instagram are any indication, she’s looking good doing it!
What do you say, Mamas? Could you be in a 10-year relationship with a guy and have two of his kids without a ring? Sound off in the comments!
I don’t believe two people should have to be married to be together, committed to one another, and in love. My boyfriend and I were together for almost 7 years, we have a five year old daughter together. We considered getting married, but didn’t see much point in it. We were always faithful and respectful towards one another. I guess I’m not very traditional, and I’m definitely not religious.
Well, I have been with my husband for going on 16 years now. Basically since I was 18. I have been married to him for two years. So I have heard it all, if he really wants you he would marry you and I would leave him if I was you. Honestly, it depends on two people in the relationship. I really didn’t focus on getting married. We have four kids and building the life together. I grew up with my family members having long term relationships with the same person until they passed away. I knew that we were in a respectful and committed relationship. I didn’t need a ring to complete that for me. So when he did ask me to marry him, I was shocked and thrilled.
I don’t see anything wrong with a long engagement. It took me and my husband a while to tie the knit. And the along the way we had a baby and separated. I think that from a religious stand point, of course you don’t want to keep popping out babies out of wedlock, but at the end of the day the experiences and environments we’ve grown up in as children does play a big part on decisions like how we feel about getting married and how we actually go about making is down the aisle.
Lebron and Savannah did was right for them as we all should do. I definitely with them a lifetime of wedded bliss.
NOPE! 10 years and 2 kids is too long for me. I would not feel secure having kids and no marriage, it is just not me. Our respective families are full of successful marriages, so maybe that is why I feel that way. I would always be thinking he did not take me seriously if he wanted to have kids and everything without marrying me. In building a life together, I consider marriage a good foundation. Kids do better at school, spouses earn more, and live longer. I wish them well though.