One

I had to post about skydiving but it is definitely an experience that is hard to put into words. And one that I think would be better told in context and maybe over a few posts....

It all started when a friend posted about a skydiving Groupon on facebook with the caption that she had to do before having kids. I don't know why, but I took that as a challenge. I've always wanted to go skydiving but I never had the desire enough to purchase a ticket. At this point, skydiving would be something to do more for bragging rights and building a facade of courage than anything else.

But something really irked me about this perception that life stops once you have kids. And I'm not saying my friend necessarily thinks this way (so please don't take offense if you read this). But it is pretty clear that it is common thought among those with no kids and an idea often perpetuated by those who do.

Perhaps it was because I had a surprise of a first child at age 20 no less that got me into the mindset that this kid was not going to rule my life. That's not to say I wasn't willing to make sacrifices for my child, he just wasn't going to slow me down or stop me from achieving my goals. I was determined not to let myself go or lose my identity (whatever identity one can have at age 20). I admit, I felt a little bummed when Jadon was 6 weeks old and he had to turn down a spontaneous offer to go to a haunted mansion around Halloween. But I never blamed the kid. I simply cherished my sleep (and his) more than going out and having a good time on that particular night. Your value-judgments change when you have kids.

While it hasn't been easy having kids at a young age (and I certainly don't endorse it), my life was given a bit of clarity, a bit of motivation and a lot of love. The things I ended up learning and continue to learn about myself are things I can't imagine learning any other way; at least for me. It probably sounds very selfish, talking about how motherhood has affected me, where some would think it should be all about your kids. I say that if one of the purposes of life is to become a well-developed person, then it's not just about them.

So I told her I'd go, purchased the ticket, figured I had a year to use it. We made our plans for just a few weeks later while I was on Spring Break. It was nice to have something to look forward to...