It seems like everyone is getting engaged, married, or having children these days. I know it shouldn’t be that shocking. We’re in our twenties, slowly but surely approaching the dreaded (gasp!) 30. But as I Facebook creep through my newsfeed, it seems that everyone’s status now says ‘engaged.’ I can’t help but wonder if I missed the memo. Is it time already to settle down, and raise a family? Not for me.
Reasons I Don’t Want to Get Married or Have Children….Yet.
- I’m broke.
No but seriously. I’m a soon-to be- graduate alum, I have a shitload of loans to pay off, and I live in one of the most expensive cities in the US. My pockets are bone dry. I feel that I don’t wanna jump into marriage, when I’m not financially stable and can’t even afford to support myself comfortably yet.
2. I don’t want kids….yet.
Childbirth scares me. The thought of a living thing coming out of my ladyparts is enough to make me throw up. THEN I have to spend all my money to make sure my kid is awesome and has the most awesome life and is blissfully happy all the damn time. Sound exhausting. I’ll pass for now.
3. Marriage is FOREVER.
I think people forget about that, judging by the alarming amounts of prenuptial agreements signed and the rampant amount of divorces that occur today. I don’t know about you guys, but divorce culturally doesn’t fly where I’m from. I would hate to invest all this time and energy and feelings in someone, only for it to end. Of course, the possibility is always there. How can you ever be sure? Right now, I’m not mature enough to really imagine being with the same person until I’m old and gray.
4. I’m 24 
I’m young, wild, and free baby! I feel like I’m just starting my life. Think about it. It’s not like what it was when our parents were young. Because we’re in a recession, our independence is stunted to a degree. Jobs aren’t prevalent right this second, and if you wanna make money, you’re going back to school, which costs money. There is so much going on, so much transition, and personally, it’s not even feasible to settle down right now. Also, there’s so many things I wanna do that I may not have time to do when I do settle down and have a family. Like travel, spend lots of money on frivolous things, stay out all night. Basically I have the freedom of doing whatever I want, when I want in the here and now.
5. What the hell is the rush?!
I’m not questioning whether these couples are really in love. Maybe they are. But I just think that we have our whole lives ahead of us…why do we have to grow up right now? It’s like the more people get engaged, the more subconscious pressure there is to settle down and start thinking about marriage. It all seems so hurried to me. I like to take my time with such big, life-altering decisions.
6. I’m Single!!
Can’t even think about having kids, getting married….when I haven’t met anyone worth DATING yet. Yes, like every other girl, I have baby names on deck for when I decide to make a seed or two, and I do love Say Yes to the Dress… but for me, I’m trying to enjoy this time in my life, because once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Shout out to the wives and wives-to be though. I pray that your love is indeed real, and that you do stay married forever. As for the rest of us…let’s ride the wave until adulthood smacks in the face.
