Mecky,

We have different points of view on this matter, but that's totally ok, and please don't think for a second that what you wrote was somehow offensive or anything like that .
I understood right away what you were talking about, and why you made that statement, because I've been there (although for a short while), but I got to go to the prom, and heard about many of my Ohioans friends marrying while in college or right after, etc....But to me, that only represents sort of a "shallow" interest in marriage, if you know what I mean, in H.S. (it seemed to me), everything is about being one of the popular kids, etc....And all the fuss about the engagement ring; to me it's also quite meaningless and superficial (Gee! I hope nobody gets offended!)
So basically, the fact that Spaniards are more independent people as young adults (from the opposite sex, not from our parents ), doesn't mean that when the time comes, usually after kissing a few frogs, we don't get totally committed to settling down with our significant others. And in my opinion, and generalizing big time, we take the whole founding a family that is "built to last" slightly more seriously.

This thread is fascinating, as I just read an article about the prevalence of "starter marriages" here in the US (definition: a marriage that happens while the couple is very young, most likely just out of school, and only lasts a couple of years--many of these marriages end before the couple has kids).

I think there are so many sociocultural factors at work there--including (1) the idealized notion that people in love "should" get married as soon as possible, (2) many young people's views about sex outside of marriage, (3) parental disapproval of living together, etc.

The phenomenon is a sad one, in my opinion, because it's such a waste--a waste of money on a wedding (often a big fancy one), a waste of time working on a relationship that won't last, etc. Both my husband and I made that mistake before we met, and were lucky that each of our first marriages ended relatively amicably and without children.

Many European couples I have known have a much more pragmatic view of dating and marriage--not that they weren't deeply in love and "starry-eyed" because of it, but they somehow seemed to sense that the decision to get married is (or can be) separate from the love they have for each other.

After hearing about all the horror stories about meeting the parents and families of spanairds, I guess I got pretty lucky. I could only speak a few words of spanish and all of my girlfriend´s family was really nice.

Mecky,
Your comment on how Spaniards meet with friends (even GIRLS) when they have a girlfriend made me laugh (in a good way)
When I dated a guy in Spain I always had friends that were male and I would go with them to have coffee or watch a movie or whatever. I didn't think that the fact of having a boyfriend means that I cannot be friends with other boys. I always was very respectful and I didn't cheat or anything, so I didn't see a problem with that.

Rubia.
No, don't get upset he hasen't told his parents. Its not the same in Spain as it is in the US. Its neither bad nor good, just different. And if you guys keep dating, there will be more cultural differences you'll have to get used to, as well as him.

Don't worry about it. Its normal. Don't read things into it that may not be there. Have fun on your trip!

All the Best,
Esperanza