Oops

I often get comments that I look too young to be married (eight years now) and have three kids. My response (the sarcastic one inside my head, anyway) is:

"Sorry for growing up so fast. I should sowed my wild oats, been drunk more often, experimented with illegal substances, been a roadie, etc. I forgot to backpack/hitch hike across wherever, searching for the meaning of life. I should have been confused and angry and dabbled in Buddhism, and tried to get discovered in Hollywood.

I apologize for discovering the One True Faith so soon, and for falling in love with a great girl, who happened to be my best friend, and who I knew would be a great mother one day.

Oops. I forgot to waste my 20's. My bad."

Then the real voice says, "Thanks, I do look fly, don't I?"

Like I wrote before, I'm not saying it's easy to find the right person. And I don't condemn anyone whose real adult life started later. I'm just really grateful I didn't have to wait long. We felt 30 when we were 19. We actually wanted to grow up, and we don't feel like we've missed out on anything at all. I don't regret already having a better career and a longer marriage than either of my parents ever did. I don't mean to pick on my parents or anyone else, and I don't mean to brag. But I've never been convinced that the man-boys I work with who have endless play money are truly satisfied with their lives of leisure or their live-in girlfriends. It's time to grow up, gentlemen. It's a challenge, but it's also a lot better on this side.