Comments on: 29 and Holding…

By: Jerry

Jerry — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:36:00 +0000

I don’t blame you for feeling anxious about things and especially your parents. Things are up in the air for most folks and especially those that are in or near retirement. We all know that social security is dismal and on its way out and medicare covers little. Most folks have to get supplemental insurance just to cover basic things. It sounds like your parents are still young and fairly healthy. That leads me to believe that they will have the strength and ability to ride out the troubles we’re all having at the moment. I wish you and your family all the best.
Jerry
http://www.leads4insurance.com

By: Mrs. Hunt

Mrs. Hunt — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:37:00 +0000

I am going to echo what a lot of people have said. I just turned 29 and my son will be two in a few months. We are both teachers so we make enough money, but not enough to really be comfortable. We struggled with the choice to have a child, but we realized that if we waited for the perfect time there wouldn’t be. I have thought a lot about how our society makes us think that we always need more, more money, more things, bigger houses, children. That for a lot of people it is hard to be happy in the present moment (I am one of those people). I can relate also because my husband is thinking of changing careers and again there is always that question of, is it the right time. It has been great to read the posts and realize that there a lot of people in a similar situation.

By: Dreamer

Dreamer — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:31:00 +0000

I have to say that for me my 30′s are much better than my 20′s. In my 20′s I didnt really know what I was supposed to be doing,I more or less operated under a state of confusion. Things started to fall into place in my 30′s, I would like to think that I started to develop a little bit of wisdom and developed the courage to be me instead of worrying what others thought or trying to conform. I also became much more aware, It also hit me in the face that the live, work (til 60), spend and die was not for me. I thus began to focus my efforts on my escape from the rat race and living more delibrately.

By: Jamey

Jamey — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:13:00 +0000

I'm past 30 but not yet 35 and I have to admit, although you have new questions and concerns, my 30's are better than my 20's.
The concerns I have now are easier to deal with when not worrying about what people think of me or my clothes or my hair etc. I'm finally happily married and know that the family thing will happen when the time is right.
Listen to your heart, make yourself a priority and always make time for Girl's Nights.

It all works itself out in the end.

By: Sense

Sense — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:07:00 +0000

Oy, do I hear you. I'm 30 and am FREAKING OUT about it. my long-term boyfriend just broke up not too long ago, I have virtually no retirement savings (due to a long stint in grad school, though no debt/loans, thank goodness!), just started a new, happy, VERY low-paying career, and wonder what my future holds.

As far as marriage and kids, it's lookin pretty bleak. I wish i could make those things happen for myself, but I really can't.

I'm not allowed to save for retirement currently, 'cause I live in a foreign country (no 401K here, can't contribute to a Roth unless you make US income, and this country doesn't allow foreign citizens to contribute to their jobs' retirement schemes).

I feel somewhat thwarted on these two fronts.

At least I have my career...

By: Nicole

Nicole — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:58:00 +0000

I tried to respond a few days ago, but apparently comments sent from Blackberry don't always 'stick.'

so... THANK YOU for such thoughtful comments. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to open such a dialogue with you guys. I'm soaking it all in and thinking about your positive thoughts and insightful perspective. It really makes my week to read your comments, so please, please keep them coming.

Hugs to you all,
Nicole

By: MargK

MargK — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:27:00 +0000

I wish the advantage of a couple of years meant I could say it gets easier after you turn 30 and less “weighty.” It doesn’t.

My best advice is to allow yourself to indulge the weighty thoughts and the accompanying feelings. Sometimes it’s the gut telling you a major change is necessary or it’s just accepting that life really doesn’t turn out at all like one thought it would at 18 or 25!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:03:00 +0000

I went back and forth about whether to post this, but there is no perfect time to build a family. Eventually I think you decide that either you don't want to wait anymore, or that the timing is "good enough."

When we decided the timing was "good enough" I expected I'd have a healthy baby in about a year. I didn't. It took 4 years and a hell of *a lot* of money to become a mom at 34.

I wouldn't trade my boys for the world, but I do wish I'd started sooner. I'd love to have more kids, but I may never get the chance.

In short, you never know what roadblocks you'll encounter. Don't wait for perfection. It never comes.

By: TeacHer

TeacHer — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:26:00 +0000

I’m only 24, but I’m struggling with some big questions also, the biggest among them is if I really even want children or not. No matter what your age, there will always be worries, so we all just have to deal with our concerns to the best of our ability and make the best decisions we can with the information we have at the time. And if that fails, God gave us cocktails

By: Sallie's Niece

Sallie's Niece — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:32:00 +0000

Nicole – try not to take the weight of the world on your shoulders! I’m 29 and am concerned about my future as well but I still think it’s important to enjoy life to its fullest while you can. 29 is still pretty young in my opinion, times are changing.