Dad’s Advice.

My dad, as fathers do, gives advice. Some of it is good, some of it is meant well and some of it is actually useful.


When I was eight, he gave one piece of advice that has stayed with me over the years. It was to be prepared that once I graduated high school, people would want to know what I was doing next. The same for college, dating, marriage until you were finally retired from your job and living in a nursing home. For instance after high school, did I plan to go to college, join the Peace Corp. or fight to save the whales? Something along those lines of general questions. And he was right, they did ask once I crossed that stage in June so many years ago.


Next came college (I postponed saving the whales) and the next question that was constantly asked was “what are you studying?” until graduation when it quickly became “do you plan to work or go to graduate school?”


I had planned to work and dove head first into the PR field flying around the country and visiting a state every three days in seemed. That was until I moved back to the South to be closer to my family and I was then hit with the question of “so when are you getting married?” From uncle to random neighbor, it seemed a very easy and reliable thing to ask a girl who had being dating the same boy for years. But still it came, every day (not joking…like every day) and sometimes several times a day, the never ask of when on earth would I settle down and decided to get married?


Again – dad was right.


Now, I’m planning a wedding and thought for a moment that the questions would stop. I mean…I have the answers. I graduated from high school, went to college, got a job and found a man. What more would you like to know people?


Today someone asked me the next big question out of the blue – “When are you planning on having kids?”


And again, I don’t have an answer…and dad was right.