I’m afraid I might be missing the Mommy gene, despite my earlier expressed desire for children.
I dogsat for a week while my parents were out of town and it was unbelievably exhausting. Besides having to change my normal routines to accommodate her morning and evening walks, she woke me up every night and put the clampdown on my social life since I couldn’t leave her with my roommate alone.
On top of it all, something was wrong with her, either sickness or depression from missing my parents. She didn’t eat as much as usual, threw up one day, had slight case of the doggy runs and even pooped all over my bathroom floor (thank God for linoleum!). But being that I am no dog whisperer, I didn’t know if it was a serious ailment or fleeting reaction. I didn’t want to be an overprotective “parent” and rush panicked to the vet. Vets are expensive. Needless to say, I felt like the relieved aunt or grandparent when I rendered the leash to my parents. Moreover, the dog seems like her normal, happy self again.
While I know it’s just pet sitting, it gave me a bit of a glimpse into parenthood, which just seems altogether daunting and intimidating! At 30, I might be of child-bearing age, but I’m still a young professional building my life and career. It’s not to say I couldn’t become ready; the right circumstances just have to come together mentally, emotionally and, of course, financially. Saying you want kids is one thing; waiting until the time is right is another.
While I’m on the subject of finances, if you’ve never thought about how much it costs to raise a child, here’s an idea of what you can expect to spend from their birth to their first day at college, as published in YS Weekly last year.
Jovie Baclayon is the editorial director for YSN.com and an expert in the experiences faced by emerging adults. To learn more, check out Jovie’s YSN portfolio and feel free to e-mail her! She blogs every Wednesday and Friday on Waste Time Wisely.
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Since being out of college for 4 years now, I have become more and more undecided about having kids. Some days I will see something on tv that makes me think I want to do it if and when I find the right person and then there are days like today when I read something like you’re blog here and my mind takes off in a sprint the other direction!
I have been out of college for almost 4 years and have a 5 month old baby. There are days when you wonder what the heck you got yourself into but then when the baby smiles and giggles everything changes. The experience of having a little one has given me a chance to re-evaluate what is truly important. Doing work that I love and raising a little one!