The Big Announcement

I'm pregnant. I've never broken a bone. I've never had a cavity.

One of those is a lie. The first one. I am definitely not pregnant.

Here's the big news, y'all: I do not want kids.

At least not right now.

Everyone else is becoming parents, it seems, friends from high school and college and beyond. There are adorable, squishy babies everywhere. Creative pregnancy announcements and gender reveal announcements and maternity pictures inundate my Facebook feed and Instagram.

I know being a mom is amazing and also tougher than most people can imagine. Motherhood is a calling, a ministry, a full-time job in and of itself; it requires sacrifice and dedication and sleepless nights. Moms tell me it's so worth it, and I believe them. I have so much respect and admiration for moms.

But I also know that I am not ready yet.
And I think that’s ok.

As the hubby and I approach our four-year anniversary, I find more and more people (friends, students, acquaintances, random people) asking me, “So, when are y’all going to have kids?” And the truth is, that's a normal question to ask married couples in our society.  Another truth: that decision is kind of between us. I'm not offended when close friends ask, of course. I just think people should remember that reproductive decisions are private.

I'm going to be real for a minute here: the reason I don't want kids right now is purely selfish. I love coming home to a quiet house, eating dinner sitting down and with two hands, and going on dates with my husband whenever I want. I love being in grad school and having the freedom to get to school at 7 a.m. and stay until 7 p.m. if I need or want to. I an cherishing my freedom.

I am not ready to give all that up. I'm just...I'm not. Does that make me less of a woman or a bad person? Nah. It just makes me honest and aware that I'm not ready yet.

So there's the big announcement, for the many people who've been wondering.