2008 Woodie Awards
Choosing your lifestyle trumps expected path
Misty Lester
Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: Opinions
Whenever I see children's toys, I cringe.
The very thought of having my own kids makes me want to run screaming from whatever path would lead me to that life.
It's not necessarily children I want to keep out of my future, it goes much deeper than that.
When I was growing up, I never looked at families and hoped to have one someday. I never had a dream wedding in mind and I certainly didn't take steps to lead me in the direction of preparing to be a wife and mother.
I wonder if people think I'm a bad person because having offspring doesn't interest me and searching for a life partner is at the bottom of my priority list.
There's something really adorable about babies and I have always liked to hold them, but anything beyond that is pointless for me.
I don't think my stigma about marriage and children has anything to do with my parents getting divorced, but I have a feeling many people think so.
I tell my family all the time marriage isn't for me (and children are definitely out of the question unless I'm married), so I think I might be unmarried forever, on purpose.
My little sister, who just turned 21, is in the Marine Corps., married and just had a baby. She passed me up and I feel like I'm doing something wrong and irresponsible, but I have to remind myself I chose an alternative lifestyle, and with good reason.
My older sister is married and planning on having kids after she finishes grad school in a year.
I am the odd man out when it comes to following the conventional path (so to speak), and I actually rather enjoy it.
I'm graduating this spring and most of my friends and family have been asking me what I plan to do and if I have thought about getting married and having kids yet.
Is everyone supposed to take similar steps in life in order to be accepted and get a seal of approval? If that's the case, I am misguided in more ways than I can count.
I'm looking forward to a life of obligations that I actually want to be responsible for. My mom tells me it's OK to wait for the right person to come along, even if it takes me until I'm 30, but she is missing my whole point when she says that.
I don't desire conventionality. I have never been predictable, nor have I ever wanted to fit into any mold.
I watch my sisters' lives progress before my eyes and I think to myself I am so happy for them, but so happy it's not me.
I want to be able to make choices on my own without having to confirm it with another person or being obligated to consider their opinion.
Replicating isn't my thing. I don't want to do the right thing all the time. I learn a lot of lessons the hard way and I'm excited to build my life around things and people who actually make me happy, rather than what is supposed to make me happy.
The very thought of having my own kids makes me want to run screaming from whatever path would lead me to that life.
It's not necessarily children I want to keep out of my future, it goes much deeper than that.
When I was growing up, I never looked at families and hoped to have one someday. I never had a dream wedding in mind and I certainly didn't take steps to lead me in the direction of preparing to be a wife and mother.
I wonder if people think I'm a bad person because having offspring doesn't interest me and searching for a life partner is at the bottom of my priority list.
There's something really adorable about babies and I have always liked to hold them, but anything beyond that is pointless for me.
I don't think my stigma about marriage and children has anything to do with my parents getting divorced, but I have a feeling many people think so.
I tell my family all the time marriage isn't for me (and children are definitely out of the question unless I'm married), so I think I might be unmarried forever, on purpose.
My little sister, who just turned 21, is in the Marine Corps., married and just had a baby. She passed me up and I feel like I'm doing something wrong and irresponsible, but I have to remind myself I chose an alternative lifestyle, and with good reason.
My older sister is married and planning on having kids after she finishes grad school in a year.
I am the odd man out when it comes to following the conventional path (so to speak), and I actually rather enjoy it.
I'm graduating this spring and most of my friends and family have been asking me what I plan to do and if I have thought about getting married and having kids yet.
Is everyone supposed to take similar steps in life in order to be accepted and get a seal of approval? If that's the case, I am misguided in more ways than I can count.
I'm looking forward to a life of obligations that I actually want to be responsible for. My mom tells me it's OK to wait for the right person to come along, even if it takes me until I'm 30, but she is missing my whole point when she says that.
I don't desire conventionality. I have never been predictable, nor have I ever wanted to fit into any mold.
I watch my sisters' lives progress before my eyes and I think to myself I am so happy for them, but so happy it's not me.
I want to be able to make choices on my own without having to confirm it with another person or being obligated to consider their opinion.
Replicating isn't my thing. I don't want to do the right thing all the time. I learn a lot of lessons the hard way and I'm excited to build my life around things and people who actually make me happy, rather than what is supposed to make me happy.