All My Independent Women

I got my mom a little too drunk last weekend, and one of the things she decides to talk to me about is that she still wants me to get a boyfriend pretty badly and when she was going to get grandchildren (and she wants them soon). My mind: "Dude...hello? I'm 23...I definitely do not want to be thinking about having children yet and should not be!"

I finally understood the reason my mom wants me to get a boyfriend so badly, but I don't understand why she feels that way. She thinks that once I get a boyfriend, she can stop worrying about me and be comforted by the fact that there will be someone else out there who will be able to take care of me, so I don't have to depend on my parents anymore. This...is, quite simply, impossible. My mom is a constant over-worrier, and there is no way she would stop worrying. And why do I need a boy to take care of me? Do I not have the ability, the smarts, and the balls to take care of myself, and even, in the worst-case scenario, for the rest of my life? Does she really think that if I got a boyfriend, he'd be taking care of me rather than the other way around? (Ideally, it'd be a balanced effort, but we all know men are a little...helpless.)

Yes, I'm scared of catching those super-sized freaky-looking bugs and in those cases I would usually scream in panic for my dad to catch them, but I've killed a 4-inch big cockroach before, and I'll be able to do it again if I have to. Yes, I don't know how to hook up an entertainment system or fix the kitchen faucet, but I can learn, and I'd do a pretty good job. Yes, I'm bad absolutely terrible with directions, but it's nothing a GPS and an unashamed willingness to ask for directions won't solve.

It's not about being single and alone; it's about being single and independent (and happy). Sure, it's harder than falling in love and getting married to feel happy and taken care of, but when do I ever take the easy way out? ;)