I am still twenty-six (despite what I told the Indian man at the Shell station, who then assured me that I looked too young to have two kids! Hah!) and so occasionally I think about what my peers are doing.

For some inexplicable reason, V. and J. (Vinnie+: yeah, you know these people) especially cross my mind of late, probably because my mom sees them all the time and tells me things like "J is so great! You would totally be friends!" and "V. is back from touring Europe!" and I'm all like, so how long have they been engaged? Because IT IS TIME TO BUCKLE DOWN, young hooligans. Get married and procreate so I don't have to think about how you two SLEEP IN and then EAT BREAKFAST without a toddler on your lap and there is No Chance of Anyone Going to Europe Ever, Ever Again.

And the I think about whether or not K. and I should have waited to have kids until we were in our 30s. And then I think: No. Because holy poopy, are we going to be young and fit when our kids get out of the house. And it took us about ten minutes to get pregnant, and I really would not have coped with infertility at all well, and your body bounces back quicker when you're younger, and, and...

and, well, I really do love my kids. Plus they've made me into the person I have always wanted to be: at ease with small children (before I was a mom, they made me inadequate and uncomfortable-feeling, now I'm all like Joey Adams! You need a tissue, honey?) as well as comfortable sending food back on the rare occasion I eat out.

It's interesting, how much validation we all need for our choices. Home Birthers! Attachment Parenting! Ferberize! Have a career first! Live together Befor Marriage! Get divorced! Get married! Get a masters degree!

When what we're really saying is--

this is what I did

and

what I did was/is right (right?)