I recently had a rather enlightening conversation with my 9-year-old niece that refreshingly permitted each of us to be intimately honest about our versions of life’s expectations from the perspective of youthful ideals and mature resolution.
Like most little girls with an active imagination that creates vibrant visuals of what makes daydreaming a gratifying sport, my talkative niece has reached the precious phase in her life, that allows her to contemplate an exciting future ahead, based on the takeaways from shifting and steady environments.
When we last hung out, she proudly recognized her growth spurt, and I pointed out how this new year would be her official entry into the age bracket of double-digits, and I asked her what she thought about that.
Our light-hearted conversation swiftly turned into a Q & A session, with my niece demanding to know why I don’t have a husband and kids. She also brought up the fact that I was in my forties, which is obviously over-the-hill for an inquisitive 9-year-old. She noted that my younger brother, her doting father, has managed to garner a family of his own. Her presentation hinted that there might be something amiss.
This isn’t the first time we’ve casually discussed boys, dating and the rite of passage that most young girls assume will be their reality, as it was for…
