This past weekend there was a pinic for my new job. The quintessential summer work gathering, everyone brings their families and we all eat hotdogs and play games and some people drink too much and end up covered in mud after a heated tug-of-war competition. This was compounded by the fact that it stormed the night before, turning our cute little picnic area by the river into a bit of a swamp. The older kids were having a blast, most of them were completely covered in mud after a mere 5 minutes. It was a bit harder for those with little ones, as Lucy seems to think that mud is yummy and she would like to sit there and analyze each drop for 20 minutes. “Hmmm…this patch of mud is a bit swampier than the last, let me record in my journal and I’ll investigate when I’m back at the laboratory.”
While at this picnic, I mentioned to an unnamed source that these work functions were a bit more fun now that I have a family of my own and am not a singleton drinking large amounts of beer and sitting at the intern table with all of the 19-year-olds in town for the summer. This person responded with, yeah, but it’s still awkward being the youngest mother, isn’t it. I mean, do you see any other 24-year-old’s here with their babies?
That comment really stung, and, unfortunately, it’s stuck with me for the past few days. I think the reason it hurt so bad was because it’s absolutely and utterly false. No, I do not feel having a child at 24 is awkward. No, I am not embarrassed. It’s not like I’m living in the trailor park with Jim-Bob and our 4 kids and haven’t showered in 3 days and can’t get a job while good ole’ Jim-Bob goes out to the bar every night and blows all of our money playing poker.
Yes, I have a child. Yes, I’m young. But I would also consider myself a success story. I have a great education. A have a good job, a job that is a million times better than the one I had before and during my pregnancy. I’m supporting my family through a difficult time, both financially and emotionally. I feel like super-mom. Exhausting would be an adjective I’d use, but never embarrassing.
So to all you young moms out there, don’t let anyone make you feel bad or like a failure because of your children. Whether it was planned or not, I know that my child has made me more successful than I ever was without her.
