Growing up in a culture that pretty much sketches how your
dream should be like – graduate college, get married, lose your virginity, have
kids, and all that stuff – is not easy. It’s like if you don’t get those in
order, you’re set to fail. I’m happy though to have been part of the generation
who will prove that to be wrong.
As a girl, I’ve been “kind of” set to follow certain rules
to be called a proper lady; and as I was growing up, I’ve been judged a lot
because I’m not one to live by meaningless rules that will limit me from
spreading my wings. Truth be told, I have made mistakes in the past and I’m not
denying nor regretting them because they’ve made me a stronger person; but fact
still remains, there are still some silly rules meant to be broken just because
they’re senseless, limiting, and tend to generalize things.
You need to have a kid before 30. Seriously? They’ve given me reasons such as,
“so that your kid will grow to be like your friend.” – Umm… I’m raising a child not my future BFF. And I think that can still
happen even when I’m much older; “so that your kid would have already
graduated before you retire.” – Can I not
be successful enough to afford my kid’s education even beyond my retirement age?
Did you just underestimate me? “It might be hard for you to conceive a
child in the future.” – Here’s the thing,
we have a timeline. We are currently prioritizing work because we
want to be more financially stable in the future before we decide to have a
child. I know my age and I am aware of that; but if we’re not meant to have a
kid, we’re not meant to have a kid. It isn’t the end goal. IT ISN’T THE
ULTIMATE DREAM. Yes, I would love to have a kid someday but it is not up to the
society to decide when we’ll have one. Whew.
When I was single, the silliest things I hear from people were:
You should lose
weight, else you’ll never find a man. News flash! I do not need a man. I
was simply living my life, trying to reach my dreams, and if I happen to fall
in love in the process, so be it. Plus, I would not want to date someone who
would only fall in love with me if I’m thinner. That is just the shallowest
thing I have ever heard.
You should get
married at “this” age. Why would I want to get married at a certain age? Is
there some kind of a law that says so? Ladies,
never succumb to the society’s supposed “marrying age” because there is no
such. Get married when you want and when you’re ready.
Find a man who can
provide for you. As much as I would not prefer a man who’s not as ambitious
I am, I also don’t like the statement of being provided by a man. I would love (and still do) to have a career of
my own and be able to financially contribute to the partnership. However, do
not get confused with how house wives are; for if ever, in the future, our
circumstances would require me to be a full-time home maker, I wouldn’t mind.
As long as we’ve got our finances well-handled, that would not be a problem.
What I would like to point out is finding a provider, a man, should not be your
end-goal when you’re still single. Have your own dreams, reach for your own
star, and should a family come in the future, that’s when you choose whether to
stay at home or still pursue your career.
Cold Shoulder Peplum Top in Black Snakeskin: Love Curves | Black Corporate Trousers: SM Woman Plus | Shoes: Anagon's Closet |
We do things differently. Even when we were
just starting out, we already know our relationship won’t be the usual kind and
we are constantly judged for it. Believe me, we’ve been told a gazillion times
by people around us how “that’s not how things are supposed to go” or “you/he
shouldn’t be doing this or that…” Yada, yada. Keep this in mind, your
relationship is your relationship. People can judge how you guys do things
based on their own point-of-view, but only you will know how things really are.
As long as you’re physically, emotionally, and mentally happy and healthy,
there is nothing wrong with how you’re doing things. It’s okay to be different.
It’s totally okay to not be like other people’s #relationshipgoals.
I am glad that Gerald isn't the typical guy haha and I am also open to ideas different from the society! Hehe I'm glad that women of today are more empowered! :) Minsan naiinis din ako dun sa sinasabi ng iba na "Lalake dapat bibili ng bahay mo" etc etc. Parang hello? Pwede naman ako mag-ambag ah, pwede namang hati kami dba? Haha Also because I know my boyfriend's finances, and ayoko naman i-pressure or i-burden sya with such things. Partner kami kaya tulungan dba? If I can do it, why not? Haha
ReplyDeleteHigh five to us modern Filipinas! 😊🙌🏽
DeleteFirst off, you look absolutely beautiful! I love that cold shoulder top and that necklace is too cute! I couldn't agree more with what you've shared here. Society does seem to point out what our lives should look like and at what stage, but the fact of the matter is not everything is so black and white nor easy for that matter. Thanks for sharing, beauty, and I hope you're having a great start to your week so far!
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jalisa
www.thestylecontour.com
Thank you, Jalisa! ❤️
DeleteThat's so great that you found someone just like you. Often times that is hard to come by. To find someone with the same mentality. I constantly have to remind myself that there is no appropriate age for anything. There are no appropriate roles, or ways that I HAVE to feel about something. It's hard because this way of thinking has been ingrained in us from the beginning. "A girl needs to have kids, get married, yada yada." Sometimes I find myself wondering if I am missing out on these things earlier in life. I have to remind myself that I can create my own path. It's not easy!
ReplyDelete-Emily www.coatandcoffee.com
It's like whichever part of the world you live in, there's this constant pressure to adhere to what the society has already gotten used to. But thank God that it's slowly changing. We can always be who we want to be and we can always choose a different kind of adventure. 😊
DeleteI'm in love with your peplum top! Your outfit is so put-together and makes you super professional.
ReplyDeleteUgh, our culture does have a lot of restrictions when it comes to being a woman. I don't know when I'll get married but I do know I want it to be when I'm financially stable. Also, I'm not very fond of kids so I'm still thinking twice whether I would want one. And when it comes to money, I don't mind my future husband managing his own earnings, it's his right after all. (But tbh my boyfriend doesn't really know how to save so if he ends up as my husband I will probably manage our money lol).
I hate it when people tell others to "lose weight" or else they won't find someone who'll love them. They should know that some people aren't as shallow as themselves, who say that phrase.
I'm glad you and your husband do things your way! I agree, couples don't have to follow society's rules as long as their relationship is healthy and happy.
xo, Gillan
Glad to have been meeting awesome modern Filipinas in the local blogging community. 😊
DeleteFirstly you look gorgeous, I think life evolves so much and so does the rules. You just gotta do what works best for you.
ReplyDeleteMeg | The Blog
Instagram: MeghanSSilva
Thank you Meg 😊
DeleteBeautiful post dear! You look stunning in this all black look. I am so happy that you found a place to live with your husband. Are you going to share some pictures here? I am curious :D my husband and I are far from buying a own place, but that is fine for us at the moment. Thank you a lot for your last comment on my blog :)
ReplyDeleteSending much love!
Xx
Rosa Larissa Klara
conscious lifestyle of mine
Will share photos once we've moved in and fixed it. Can't wait, myself. 😁
DeleteI love this upbeat post, Gellie! I am totally with you on breaking the rules. I got married (for the first time) well after 40, have no children, and couldn't be happier with my life. :)
ReplyDeletexo, janea
www.theSTYLEtti.com
Thank you for being an awesome modern woman, Janea. We should really educate the younger generations to not be pressured with marrying and all that. Happiness always comes from their own selves. 😊
DeleteYou’ve written nice post, I am gonna bookmark this page, thanks for info. I actually appreciate your own position and I will be sure to come back here.
ReplyDelete|cat mario |retrica |
Thanks! 😊
DeleteThanks! 😊
ReplyDelete