Before you get your panties in a twist, let me clarify: I love babies and I love weddings. What I don’t love is when weddings and babies happen during the first 30 years of a person’s life. When I see Facebook acquaintances sharing nauseating (yet semi-adorable) pictures of these “grown up moments”, I take a second to mourn the loss of their 20s. (Side note: I am not trying to be mean. I am sure they think the same thing about me when I write about my empty career ambitions and drunken party nights). It boggles my mind: why would you fast-forward through your crazy 20s? You miss out on so many life experiences.
I am not a neuroscientist or anything remotely that smart, but I would argue that your 20s are when you define yourself as a real person. How can you find out who you really are with a baby and/or a husband? Responsibility and maturity come through trial and error, which is the exact purpose of your 20s. It is a lot easier to fight with friends, date the wrong guys and pay bills late without the weight of a mortgage and family. You learn from every misstep.
Worst analogy ever, but I see my 20s as doing a plank at the gym. When you get in plank position, you shake as you are gaining strength. As you workout more, gain muscle and become stronger, your plank becomes more stable. Don’t you see…life is the same way! In your 20s, you shake, trip, and sometimes just fall flat on your ass, but it makes you a stronger person for the more important events in life, such as marriage and kids.
Not to mention, you have the best times of your life in your 20s! These are the years you can travel with your girlfriends, stay out way too late on weeknights and get tattoos in inappropriate places. I am sure you start most of the conversations with your gal pals one of two ways: 1) “Remember that crazy time when…” OR 2) “Wouldn’t it be crazy if we did this…? YOLO!” These are the crazy times that will allow you to truthfully say to your future kids, “don’t make the same mistakes that I did”. How can you teach your kids not to make mistakes, if you never had a chance to make them? There is a time and place to be a wise old geezer, and that time isn’t now. LIVE!
Look, I am not trying to shit on anyone’s life decisions, but you have lots of time in life, so why do everything at once? When you are 85 years old, and look back at life, you want to make sure all the bases were covered. If you have kids and get married in your 20s, what are you supposed to look forward to in your 30s? I am sure some will disagree, but touché.
Leave a Reply