Yesterday I experienced something new.
My husband, son, and I went out for dinner. The primary reason for leaving the house was to have my son my son take a nap while we drove to pretty much any destination. We decided to go one town over. On the drive there we urbanspoon-ed (thank you iphone) our way to deciding on an off the beaten path destination that appears to be a steak house. The reviews were great and the prices appeared to be affordable. When we arrived it was more bar than restaurant. I was disappointed, to say the least, as I’m sure we were not their target crowd. Although they did have a high chair, I could tell by the looks on the other patrons faces that we were out of place.
It was interesting to be the family among the older couples. Rather than being looked down upon and talked about because you’re the punk kids out eating and disturbing the families, now I’m in the family that’s disturbing the Hip 40’s crowd. Yesterday it was the people in the restaurant that seemed annoyed by family and child, but I’m sure these moments will come more often. I have such an old soul and my priorities are vastly different from most people my age. At 24 I have established my career, my family, and own my home. I have priorities, and bills, and long term goals. Most of the friends I had in high school are still bartending, working retail, and attempting a class or two. I don’t understand the drifting along most of them have. Don’t they want anything out of life? Aren’t they tired of moving from apartment to apartment, losing their things along the way, and making and loosing friends so easily. What about that is appealing to so many?
I guess I will never understand. I never had the desire to “party”. I never did a drug and never smoked a cigarette. The 3 times in my like I have drank, I just got hot, slept, then vomited. Nothing about any of that ever appealed to me. Give me a computer, a gadget, people to take care of, and people to love and love me and I am set.
I’m such an old nerdy fart.
I started my family young too. I was 20 when I got married and 21 when my daughter was born. THIS WAS NOT A MISTAKE OR A "SURPRISE." I planned it that way. I was the youngest one in my group of friends to do this. It's not that my friends didn't have ambition. They just were not ready to do things my way. Eventually, most of them settled down and now have wonderful families and careers. The older you get, the more you will find that people have the same ultimate goals in life. There are just many roads we can take to realize them. We are not all cut from the same mold and that is what makes us individuals.
BTW…you son is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!