There must be something in the air. Perhaps it's the changing of the seasons...you know, allergies and stuff, or maybe it's the day and age we live in? I can only guess. Maybe it's the wear and tear of parenthood that grinds on a more selfish generation of adults? You know, we never had to help out on the farm or spend Saturdays working for the family business. We didn't have to learn how to give up what we wanted to help the family. And so now, we've tired of parenthood and want to move on. We want what we want now.
Or maybe we are looking at our parent's generation and thinking they sacraficed so much of what they wanted and look how miserable things turned out. My father loves woodworking but spent 9-5 doing accounting. Are we looking at them and thinking we don't want to end up the same? There is a great line at the end of a slightly funny but also crude show called "Accepted" where the kid asks a bunch of adults on the school accredidation board if they wanted to be administrators when they were in school? Is this what they wanted to be when they grew up??
I don't have those answers. I'm just asking the questions. Because I'm there too. I spent my youth trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I figured it out, I didn't have the guts, the faith, the willingness to risk collosal failure to try and be what I wanted. Instead I went into IT. Now software testing. Hopefully in a few years software development. Don't get me wrong, outside of a coworker here and there I have really enjoyed what I do and what I'm working towards but in high school this isn't where I saw myself.
Am I too late? Did I already squander the time I had to persue my dreams and now I'm locked into my current path? Should I just "grow up" and accept that being an adult means doing what you have to or what makes you feel okay but not what makes you happy? Or do I try and make the time to pursue my dreams on the side?
I believe that is compromise my generation is making that many of our parents didn't. We are trying to do it all and not feel guilty for it. I believe it can happen. With proper planning and organization and NOT letting one squeeze out the others and learning when to let one dominate for a little while but still allow for the rest, I believe we can achieve the lives we want both from a personal and family perspective. My sister-in-law used to tell her kids that after they went to bed it was her time. And during HER time she went by her first name, not Mom. Personally, I don't think we really ever get to take off the parent hat. But maybe we cover it up instead. If it's not an emergency, I'm taking a lunch break from parent-mode.
To achieve this utopia, we need to be willing to sacrefice on all fronts a little. But with communication, understanding and set expectations, we should be able to do it. When I get done trying to fit student, dad, husband, employee, handyman, actor, and writer into my life, I'll let you know how it goes. Right now I'm doing a right crappy job on most fronts. But here is to the dream and I hope you find a way to achieve it.
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