> Me saying this as a 26-year-old doesn't quite feel right, but I still think I'm correct. I certainly don't feel ready for a child yet
Our first kid was born a week after I turned 27. We got married at 23. If you had asked me at 25 whether I was ready for a kid I would have said no.
That summer my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. That put things into much sharper focus, and it turned into a question of "if not now, when?". So then we decided to go for it.
My dad got to meet his first grandchild. Three weeks later his cancer started growing again. Three months later he was dead.
In my opinion, the greatest disservice we do to the young is shielding them from the reality that life comes to an end and it's going to pass by whether you are ready for it or not.
Adulthood is basically accepting that there are things you want / need to do, even though you are afraid or uncertain how they will turn out.
>Adulthood is basically accepting that there are things you want / need to do, even though you are afraid or uncertain how they will turn out.
This seems to imply people should have kids before they are ready or know its what they want. Consider the fact that for you it might have worked out but for many they are left with children they are unable to support or do not have any feelings for. Having children is not an essential end goal for life and not having them is just as valid of a choice.
I can see how you would read it that way, but when I wrote it, I meant it more as a tie-in to the sentence before it:
> In my opinion, the greatest disservice we do to the young is shielding them from the reality that life comes to an end and it's going to pass by whether you are ready for it or not.
> Adulthood is basically accepting that there are things you want / need to do, even though you are afraid or uncertain how they will turn out.
I think no matter what your goals in life, there is a need to actually get around to them rather than waiting for "someday." For me, it was having children. For others, maybe it's something else.
> Having children is not an essential end goal for life
Having children is actually an essential end goal of life. Without children there is no life. That doesn't mean everyone needs to make that choice though.
Our first kid was born a week after I turned 27. We got married at 23. If you had asked me at 25 whether I was ready for a kid I would have said no.
That summer my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. That put things into much sharper focus, and it turned into a question of "if not now, when?". So then we decided to go for it.
My dad got to meet his first grandchild. Three weeks later his cancer started growing again. Three months later he was dead.
In my opinion, the greatest disservice we do to the young is shielding them from the reality that life comes to an end and it's going to pass by whether you are ready for it or not.
Adulthood is basically accepting that there are things you want / need to do, even though you are afraid or uncertain how they will turn out.