Monday, August 20, 2007

Baby Fever

I want a baby.

Why?

I want attention.

Let me back up...

This seems to be the year of all my friends having babies or getting pregnant, or even thinking about second kids. It's so much fun to be with them in the process and help them welcome new life into the world. I think kids are awesome but am personally years away from being ready for my own. I know I want to adopt, and I would like to experience pregnancy and childbirth.

But what I'm getting at is this: There are two events in a woman's life that garner the most attention--engagement and childbirth. Sure, people get excited when you graduate college but you don't have squealing women gathering around to look at your diploma like they would an engagement ring.

These two events should well gather celebration, and large amounts of it. But let's be honest, it makes the rest of us feel like we have nothing going on in our lives. When I'm in a group of pregnant and/or engaged women, my dissertation research just doesn't seem that exciting.

I think we should celebrate everything about our lives. I have a friend who throws a party once per year to celebrate being single and on her own. Beautiful. And why not commemorate the days that we barely make it through, rejoice in the ordinary, exult in the unnecessary? We should help all our sisters delight in the place in life in which they are, sans engagement ring or minus baby, or whatever.

So next time you see me, please congratulate me for all the extraordinary yet societally insignificant things in my life. That would be nice.

3 comments:

EKH said...

there are so many things i could congratulate you for.

the title of this post worried me just a little bit. :)

Anonymous said...

Just so you know, your dissertation sounds much more exciting than the diaper changing I'm doing right now. :-) But, I completely understand what you mean! Congratulations to you for continuing to open my eyes to women's issues with a Biblical perspective, and for teaching me the power of choice that feminism gives us. Okay, so no standing around squealing about those things, but they may very well impact many more people than the engagement rings do.

APN said...

Ummmm....

I'm with EMH -- that blog title kinda freaked me out....

But please remember that you ARE of worth, GREAT worth, even before you ever experience the joys of marriage & childbirth (two words that make me break out in a cold sweat).

Peace to you.