pregnant pause

is this the norm? or is there something wrong with ME? i'm beginning to think there is. the problem i have with facebook right now, not that is it within any of the makers' control, is it seems almost daily i come across a photo album of a "friend" my age or younger who is pregnant. it's usually not "oh, she's getting a little belly". no, these young ladies show off their stomachs as if it is the new "it" accessory. the response of the masses? "cute!", "congratulations!" (often mispelled), etc. it's well-approved of and celebrated that these unwed, sometimes uneducated beyond high school, women will introduce another young soul to this corrupt world soon. many times it comes as little surprise, as i see these girls are not doing more than what is common for them growing up in their non-capital hill or un-upper northwest DC neighborhoods; i reside "east of the river" myself. i just felt that they have been done a disservice as they are told they can move beyond their parents' achievements and attend college but are not educated about the hardships of young, single motherhood.

or maybe i'm just old-fashioned or judgemental. i try not to judge others. i give people the benefit of the doubt. but now i'm belieiving this is done on purpose. for whatever reason, these girls want to have babies with these young men. they can't just not be protecting themselves in these days of HIV/AIDS and other STDs that won't go away with just a trip to the free clinic. they can't want to be forever connected to their high school or college sweetheart who they will probably grown to hate in the next couple of years as they mature and actually come into their adult selves. no, this cannot be it.

these young ladies know what they are doing. they are going to get married or at least know they will love this man forever ('cause i'm not a big fan of marriage either). they simply want a child and don't care if the father is not present in their life. they are fully capable of giving the child the best life as they see it. and if they are not using condoms 100% of the time (because who really does that?), they are prepared for the consequences and they know these young males very well including knowing they have a clean health record. they KNOW what they are doing. i REALLY hope so....

so this leads me to question, maybe i'm the one not doing something right. based on this trend i should have already had or be having my first child. based on the cycle of my mother and sister, i still have one more year. so i am either a little behind or right on track. however, at 10 when i became an aunt, i realized how tough and demanding it is to have a child, work, and go to school. eventhough my sister is now married, she just had a second child and even that appears rough to me and she has PLENTY of help. this scares me and i really hope it's only my "friends" doing this.

[crunches, push-ups]