Have you ever been scrolling through Facebook and you see one of those posts titled “Why there are better things than being tied down at 20,” or “Why you don’t need a man in your 20’s?” Yeah, I do. All. The. Time. Some days I ignore them and keep scrolling, but sometimes, I indulge and read them… Only to find myself annoyed. Really annoyed.
I met Thomas when I was 18 years old. We started “talking” the week of my senior prom actually. He’s been my best friend ever since.
In said posts, I see words like independence, career, experiment, experience, and one of my favorites, be selfish. Those words really get me thinking. Have I not learned to be or do any of those things? Have I missed out on the glory of being single in my 20’s? The answer is no. In no way am I, or any other girl who is tied down in her 20’s prevented from establishing independence, building a career, experimenting and experiencing things in life, and being selfish- because we all know I can be selfish.
I have learned to be/do all of those things because I wanted to. I had the desire to establish my independence because I never wanted to be the girl who brought her boyfriend to everything or was always tagging along. I have established a job that I adore while finishing college, I have experimented and experienced things in life that I could have never dreamed. And lastly, I have been more selfish than in my entire life, because before loving someone else, I had to learn to love myself.
Thomas and I have established a balance in life that I wouldn’t have expected to have until well in to my 30’s with another person. Being tied down in my 20’s proved to be one of the best things that could have happened to me.
I am tied down to someone who shares a love of traveling, and has taken me to cities I would have only dreamed of going to in my early 20’s. I am tied down to someone who loves fine food, random Netflix documentary binges and laughing our butts off for absolutely no reason. While being tied down might sound awful, it sounds IS pretty great for me.
No one is saying you have to be tied down in your 20’s, and no one is saying you have to be single in your 20’s.
I made the choice to be with someone in my 20’s, and while some of the “20 things better than being tied down at 20” sounds slightly enticing, I could name 200 reasons why being tied down in your 20’s is just as great as being single.
