Every once in awhile I'll write posts about something specifically going on in my life. These personal notes will be a way for me to vent (hopefully in a grown up way), share my opinions, or just blabber about the most random things.
Everybody has babies.
It might be a bit of an exaggeration, maybe, but it's safe to say that 90% of the people I know have babies (or babies on the way). Being a woman who has past the point where she can say she's in her 'mid twenties', I feel like I missed the boat somewhere or took a wrong turn.
Looking back at where I thought I'd be right now, I'm nowhere close. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy where I am and where I'm going to go, but that doesn't stop me from feeling left out every once in awhile. I always thought I'd get married young and start a family right away. That obviously didn't happen, and now that I've had time to think about it I wonder if that's what I really wanted, or just what I saw happening around me. It's tricky to ignore what society, the media, your family, your friends, tell you and just think for yourself sometimes. Growing up I didn't know many people who were childless. Everyone was married and everyone had babies. I didn't see any other option - but, now that I've been in the 'business world' for awhile I see more and more couples who don't have kids, or more single men and women.
It doesn't really help that there's so much pressure for women with this issue. We're on a clock after all. I have LOTS of time before I have to worry about any of that, thankfully, but it's still something I think about.
Do I want to be the outsider with everyone else coupling up and having babies?
I see my family and friends starting families of their own and it looks wonderful, for them. It's nice that I can visit my nephew and give him torturous snuggles and kisses and be the Cool Aunt. It's even nicer that when he cries and gets fussy I don't have to deal with it. I don't consider myself a selfish person, but I'm not going to lie and say it wouldn't be nice to only have to worry about me, and nobody else, for the rest of my life.
I recently read an article called 6 Ways The Decision To Not Have Kids Messes With Your Head - It's a really great and truthful article and it made me feel much better about my internal debate.
In the spirit of the issue, I've made a list of top 3 reasons why not having babies could be an awesome life choice for me
1. I could travel whenever
I have a gypsy soul. I want to go everywhere and see everything. My current financial situation doesn't allow me to travel as much as I'd like, neither does my job, but in a few years time I hope that not to be the case.
2. Sleep is a wonderful thing
It doesn't matter what I do, I'm tired ALL THE TIME. I could take vitamins, I could exercise regularly and eat really wholesome food - I'm still tired. Napping is probably my favorite hobby. I couldn't nap, or sleep in, with children. It's just not going to happen. My body also hates caffeine so coffee isn't an option.3. More time to concentrate on my career
I have big goals and aspirations. I think I've finally figured out what I want to do, as far as work goes, for the rest of my life. It's not going to be an easy feat. It's going to take a lot of work and dedication. I'm actually looking forward to all of the stress that's going to come a long with that. It could be difficult to balance my career life, with a mom role.
Thinking about a big decision like this is tough, and it's scary. I'm not in any rush to figure this out, it's just something that's come to mind lately.
Do you have an opinion on the topic? I'd love to hear them. Share them in the comments.
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