Is it just me or does it feel like everyone is getting married and having kids? Everytime I get on Facebook I see two new people “got engaged” or “got married.” Everytime I get on Instagram I see a picture of my friend’s new baby or another family picture. I can’t help but think, did I miss the memo? I am just trying to go to finish college to get a decent job to support my future marriage and my FUTURE children.
However, I recently realized something about people who get engaged, get married, then have children: IT IS OKAY! I also realized something about people who are in college and trying to finish their degree before they get married and start a family: IT IS OKAY! There are also some people who just started working right out of high school and have no desire to get married, have children or go to college and you know what, IT IS OKAY!
Society has had such an impact on our generation and has made us believe that everyone has to do the same thing to be successful in life. Everyone has to go to college right out of high school, get a job, get settled in the job for a few years, get engaged, wait a year, get married, wait a few more years, have children and continue to be successful in their job. Society is wrong.
Not everyone is going to have the money to go to college. Not everyone has the desire to have children at all. Not everyone has the desire to get married. On the flip side, some people may want to go to college further down the road. Some people may want to have children as soon as they get married. Some people may want to get married to their high school sweetheart right out of high school. As you may have guessed, IT IS OKAY!
Not everyone is the same. People have many different backgrounds that influence the decisions that they make. Some people have had financially successful parents to support them in going to college, while others may have to pay everything out of pocket and can only afford to be a part-time student. Many people prefer more of a hands-on type of learning and working and choose to go to a vocational school. Others may choose to simply go to college later in life or not at all. Some people may have lived in a community where it is normal to get married and have chilren right out of high school.
The important thing to remember is to do what makes YOU happy. Don’t do whatever is going to make society happy or your family or your friends happy but what makes you happy and is going to be a smart decision for YOUR life. Everyone is different. Everyone has different goals and different dreams. Everyone is going to make mistakes and hopefully learn from them. Everyone is going to make choices and hopefully be happy with them. Just remember to think long and hard about the decisions that need to be made, be confident in the decisions that you made, be happy and always remember IT IS OKAY!