You need to get the movie "The RM" and rethink this scenario.
I know most decent LDS youngsters won't like my views here, and Colton might squirm to have his kids exposed to my wacked-out reality, but judging from my own unguided youth, and ensuing experiences. . . . this is a huge mistake.
The whole reason for making the eligible age 19 in the first place was the vain hope that with a year out the door and on their own, hopefully, it would mean young men would think seriously BEFORE going on a mission, and thus be more prepared to take on the serious responsibilities of being "elders" teaching and counseling prospective new converts. . . . and maybe with a prospect of actually taking their own beliefs seriously. It was bad enough having parents trying to hijack the mission program for juvenile rehabilitation purposes as it was. . . ..
So here is a case of revelation coming from college athletics advocates, a real cart-before-the-horse case of twisted logic, if you ask me.
The LDS Church would have done better to make the eligible age 21 for both men and women. Sure a lot of kids would just wander off into some other life path of their own choosing, but the ones who still would choose to do a mission would actually be a credit to the faith.
As for the high school sweethearts having the chance to go off on missions and come back at the same time, I just think the worn out joke about "dear john" letters. . . . ummmm. . . . let's re-state that. . . . "dear elder" letters . . . . . is just going to get a new lease on life. . . .
My own high school "sweetheart" was pretty clearly just in it for the status dances. . . . .