Have You Ever Noticed?

How family doesn't really see you as an adult until you're married, preferably with kids? I understand that I will always be my parents' kid, but I think they respect me more as an adult than a lot of my family. For instance, I emailed my aunt a couple of weeks ago and just told her all the stuff that I was working on in the past month or so. She wrote back and said "You are one busy girl!" This from the aunt who was 13 when I was born. I know it's just a phrase, but I think it sums up how they see me. First, I'm still in school - granted it's law school, and I have an MA on top of my BA, but to them it's just "school." I won't be an adult until I'm out of school. Second, there's no husband in sight - or even a boyfriend for that matter - as far as the eye can see. Is there just something wrong with Kelly that she can't hold onto a man? My cousin Marie didn't get married until she was 38, and I remember how the family talked about her in such a different way than those who were married with children, even if they were 15 years younger than Marie. It was like Marie was biding her time until a man came along, even though I knew she had a career she was happy with and was making a success of her life despite coming from some hard circumstances.

So what happens if I never get married? Am I always going to be little Kelly who doesn't have a "real" life, despite whatever else I happen to be doing?

Now don't even get me started on being single in the Mormon church. As my friend Katie said the other night in what has become my favorite TV catchphrase: Can open; worms everywhere.