Posted on: Tuesday, March 8, 2005
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ABOUT WOMEN
Biological clock is on snooze
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By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
We've all heard about the proverbial biological clock.
It always seemed so distant, so irrelevant to me. So ... old.
But it whacked me on the back of the head the other day when my doctor, during a routine check-up, asked me if I had started thinking about having children.
Whoa, hold on there. What?
My doc assured me that I still have time to start a family, but explained how women don't stay fertile forever.
Yes, I was aware of that. I've heard about couples who discovered getting pregnant wasn't as easy as they expected. I never seriously thought about stuff like that; these were things to worry about later, when I was ready to take that step.
But this wasn't the first time I've been nudged toward motherhood.
My mom, bless her heart, gently reminded me a couple of times that I should have kids before she and my dad become too old to baby-sit. (She's made it clear, however, that ideally this should not happen until after I get married).
A good friend of mine has half-seriously encouraged me to have a baby, joking that her toddler "needs friends."
Nooo-no-no-no-no. Not now, anyway.
I'm in no real rush to have a baby, although I do hope to have kids someday. Stuff like marriage, finances and a bigger place should probably be settled first.
It seems, however, I may soon be in the minority.
Some of my friends are new mothers. A few are pregnant and wearing cute maternity clothes from Old Navy. Others are talking about when they want to start "trying."
Even Hollywood hotties are joining the motherhood circuit. I can't watch TV or read a magazine without seeing a feature on some Julia Gwyneth Cox-Arquette's special Louis Vuitton diaper bag and how Pilates got her back into pre-baby shape.
When did all this happen?
The funny thing is, when I was younger, I assumed I'd be a mom (or want to be a mom) by now. In high school, my friends and I decided we would all marry by 24 and start families at 26, figuring that by then — eons away — we'd all be ready to become mommies.
Cute, huh. We were also into acid-wash jeans, MC Hammer and wine coolers — further evidence of how skewed our judgment was.
Take nothing away from my mothering friends. I'm happy when they're happy. And I know they're happy. A little tired sometimes, but happy.
Besides, it's pretty cool to live vicariously through them. I've become squeamishly fascinated with their stories about umbilical cords, bigger bra sizes and how real women choose epidurals — tidbits of information I'm tucking away for later.
In the meantime, I'm quite content with being an auntie.
Biological clocks have snooze buttons, right?
Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 535-2470.
