An Open Letter To A 23-year-old non-parent 'who wouldn't understand'

Subject: An Open Letter To A 23-year-old non-parent 'who wouldn't understand'
From: Any and All Proud First Time Parents on Facebook
Date: 9 Dec 2015

To say that you wouldn't understand is a vast understatement. Parents are very different from people like you. You dislike our constant pictures of our babies. We dislike the pictures of you holding a solo cup, obviously smashed at the most recent hip party you have attended. We don't care how much you love your dog or your cat. We don't care about your latest trip to the hairstylist or the most recent tattoo you got. Frankly, THAT is far more juvenile than posting pictures of the little lives we have created.
Children are a parents greatest pride and joy. They are our lives. Not another "obnoxious picture" of our kids chewing on a teenage mutant ninja turtle. To us these pictures are gold. Far more meaningful than pictures of you with the hot guy you met at the bar last night.... Or last week.
You chose not to have kids. That's fine and dandy, but don't think for one second that we will stop posting pictures and statuses about our pride and joy. If you think we need to know about how hungover you are or how outrageous the line was at the club last night, you're wrong. However, you don't see most of us complaining about your endless selfies you post because Lord knows there is nothing in your life more important than you.
Your mentality is, in fact, what makes us parents believe we ARE more mature than you. In reality, a lot of us are. Most of us have given up our party days and 4 a.m. taxi rides so that we can focus on our children. These children that you call "adorable little shits" will be the lasting imprint we leave on this earth.
To each her own when it comes to deciding whether or not to have kids. But if you want to complain about us sharing photos of our kids, our LIFE, simply remember, we don't care about your youth either. You're the kind of person I take pride in NOT being, and I owe that to my kids. So I will continue posting pictures of my kid with peas up his nose as long as you keep posting pictures of yourself and your latest squeeze. I will keep posting statuses about how my kid won't settle down as long as you keep posting statuses about what you had for breakfast.

Stay young, stay dumb.

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