Is it all about the white picket fence?

[Junket]

Why do so many people want to get married, have kids, own a home and a nice car and some sort of pet?

What do you do after that?

Why do people set these milestones for themselves when so many others have tried the same and failed?

Why can't our goals be to, have two boyfriends/girlfriends, live in with your one of your siblings and help raise your nieces and nephews, on a house boat sailing the open seas?

We have more choices, more freedom than we have ever had before! Why don't we start thinking outside the box?!

AAAAAAARGH!

[Mish]

Why do people set these milestones for themselves when so many others have tried the same and failed?

I don't see it any different to other milestones we set for ourselves. Going to school --> Traveling overseas --> Going to College. Why do we do all of that? I think it's the same principle. People want to learn, to grow, to leave a legacy. Own family allows for a lot of that.

[vashti]

For many people, having children gives life purpose. The rest of it just provides optimal security.

[Cbrider]

Living according to a plan or trying to follow a trend is just sentencing yourself to an "average" life.

Happy people make their lives, they don't follow a guide.

My guide is a day by day one and I am happy, healthy and content

[Lite]

I don't know that I believe in the stereotypical American Dream anymore.

[Only-virgins]

nice car

For the rush I get of doing 100mph around a corner. Once again, and for the ****ing last time, not everyone gets a car for bragging rights.

As for everything else? I haven no clue but best guess is competition. I live my life how I want and I do what I like. I am a scientist and this guy was giving me hard time 2 days ago that his friend makes 20k a year more than me working at a lumber mill and he never had to finish school. I don't think he gets it at all, as if I did it just for the money or something. I happen to like the fact that I at least attempt to find answers to life's puzzles rather than pick splinters out of my ass and fingers. I don't want two girlfriends though, mainly because I don't want my girlfriend to have two boyfriends.

[Only-virgins]

For many people, having children gives life purpose.

That is what my mom says WORD FOR WORD!!! this has to be some kind of stupid female logic.

[IndiReloaded]

Why can't our goals be to, have two boyfriends/girlfriends, live in with your one of your siblings and help raise your nieces and nephews, on a house boat sailing the open seas?

We have more choices, more freedom than we have ever had before! Why don't we start thinking outside the box?!

If anything ever happened to my life, I would totally do this^, except it would be a sailboat.

I'd take my sister and my niece.

Why don't you start a Heinlein Line Marriage, Fras? Someone has to:

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_marriage[/url]

[IndiReloaded]

I wouldn't say my son gives my life purpose. Eww. What a responsibility to put on HIS young shoulders. Bleh.

I would say he enriches it and I enjoy having him in my life. I like to think he enjoys his parents likewise.

[Only-virgins]

I wouldn't say my son gives my life purpose. Eww. What a responsibility to put on HIS young shoulders. Bleh.

I would say he enriches it and I enjoy having him in my life. I like to think he enjoys his parents likewise.

Damn it! now I can't say all women suck ...that is what I feel everyone should feel about that subject.

[bluesummer]

Huh. I don't know about the whole white picket fence crap. I just want to be happy, and I don't predetermine the things that are going to make it so. If it's my destiny to live on a boat and never have kids, well so be it, if that it what my happiness eventually equates to.

I think people need to be more open minded about possibilites in their life instead of trying to have their life fit some predetermined mold. Some people just need more 'structure' than others I guess.

[doppelgaenger]

Some people like wine, but others like grape juice.

So what? People just want certain things. It's not about a white picket fence - it's a part of life maaaaaan.

[tooxshort]

Maybe it's happy for some people in the box ... I like what bluesummer said about just wanting to be happy ... isn't that what it's all about?

Personally, marriage wasn't something I had planned my whole life, but I'm happy it happened ...

[IndiReloaded]

How's the baby cooking going, Shorty?

[starbuck]

Why do so many people want to get married, have kids, own a home and a nice car and some sort of pet?

What do you do after that?

Why do people set these milestones for themselves when so many others have tried the same and failed?

Why can't our goals be to, have two boyfriends/girlfriends, live in with your one of your siblings and help raise your nieces and nephews, on a house boat sailing the open seas?

We have more choices, more freedom than we have ever had before! Why don't we start thinking outside the box?!

AAAAAAARGH!

These are great questions. See, I also think that if people had more options presented to us, we might choose alternatives to the marriage/kids route ourselves. However, I'm not sure that American society is structured in a way that makes it very easy for people who want alternatives.

Think about it this way, what if you wanted to have two wives or two husbands? Which one gets the marriage benefit? What if you wanted no marriage and travelling around the world, bedding one person from each country? Unless you were Donald Trump or Paris Hilton, this would be a very hard journey to embark on.

Why am I looking for something more settled? Different reasons, but mostly because I would like a bit more stability and security at this stage in my life. I couldn't care less about the picket fence though. I'll probably still be living here in a tiny apartment and loving it.