I used to work at a daycare and that is when I discovered the absolute love you can have with children.
Working in the infant room, I was amazed how you could easily forget that this child was only four months old despite them having the biggest personality ever. I could feel the way my heart just warmed up when they got excited when I walked into the room every day. And the way their warm, tight hugs always made me feel so loved. Its easy to fall in love with them. However, from all the cute finger paintings and warm cuddles, my favorite part of the day was handing them off to their parents. There is no way in hell, I am ready for that level of responsibility.
I truly admire everyone my age right now who I see on Facebook having a family.
I believe to have a child in your early 20s, someone has to have a lot of strength and patience. I admire the way you are able to put someone else before you and change your whole life around. I love seeing your children grow up through the images you post. Seeing little Zoe's first steps and Cody's endless sleeping photos, its precious really. But, its the status about exhaustion, economic stress and relationship strains that is really a strong lesson for all young people in the world: Having a baby isn't met to be a social trend.
Taking care of a child is tough. It's not like a commitment you make towards your partner, there is no way out.
You may hear, "Its a commitment for the next 18 years of your life", but that couldn't be more inaccurate. You are in charge of being the emotional support system for a child for the rest of their life. They are a financial burden. Raising a child nowadays cost $233,610.
Your children are adorable, however, the more I see young people sharing their children's life and expressing their struggles online, I reflect more to myself how this is not a step I am ready to take any time in the near or distant future.
I hear girls around me discussing how they would like a child within the next five years and I just think to myself, I can't even remember to water my plants.
No way that is going to change anytime soon. I also see the struggles and barriers that having a child young can have on a person. I'm not ready or willing to put my dreams on hold for someone else. No matter how cute they are, I have too much I want to accomplish in my life. As I witness more young people around me and young women developing "baby fever", I just find myself inching further the way from every wanting to have a family. This doesn't seem like the step for me.
I'm not ready to trade in my hiking boots for house slippers, my crop tops for what I am hoping is a clean shirt (reality, its not) or my Wednesday dollar night beers for 8 p.m. bedtimes. I am still young and have too much I want to do.
Thank you, to everyone around me having children. Thank you for not hiding the reality of the struggles of parenthood. Discussing how your children won't breastfeed and how just sneaking away to take a shower for the first time in days is a blessing. I appreciate so much your honestly. I admire your strength and courage to choose the path of parenthood.
