Yeah, quite a shocker, isn't it?? But it is. I can remember having MANY conversations with my Mom about this topic, arguing with her, telling her I will have a career, I will not stay at home and be a submissive little wife.

I don't know how this change came about. It's really ODD. But it has. I can think of nothing that would make me happier than to just get MARRIED and be with my husband. All of a sudden, a career outside of the home (because, as I had to learn the hard way after saying all of the above things to my Mom, being a housewife is a career in itself) seems...so TRIVIAL. And that's ironically the opposite of what the world tells us.

Maybe this gradual change stems in part from hearing my friend Valerie talk about how SHE "is going to grad school, and SHE is going to get her doctorate, and NO ONE is going to stop her, not even a man. He will just have to wait for HER to have her dreams come true."

Or maybe it came because as this is my first semester living on my own I am realizing how much work it takes to keep things running, and how hard it is to cook, clean, buy groceries, shop for clothes, and still have time to "work" (I.E.- do homework)...and maybe it came because I realized as I cook dinner (the once or 2x a week I force myself to do so), how much more FUN it would be if I had someone to eat it with me and say, "mmm, this is good!" instead of eating it in solitude and complimenting myself.

And then today, I went to see "The Prince and Me (which was a surprisingly racy movie for it's PG rating- but that's another story)," and [SPOILER WARNING- IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE YET, YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ THE FOLLOWING], in it Paige (Julia Stiles) falls in love with this REALLY handsome Prince of Denmark (somebody Maybles)...he asks her to marry him, she says yes. But then, she decides she really wants to pursue her career and go on to medical school so she can be a doctor, and the engagement is broken off. Then, at the end of the movie, he flies over to where she is here in the States, and tells her (even though by this time he is now KING of Denmark) that he is willing to wait for her to finish "reaching her dreams," even if that means waiting to get married until she is out of medical school (FOUR YEARS GUYS, FOUR YEARS!!!).

It was just SOOO wrong. Then again, by the way they acted, I guess they were basically married already, and so marriage was really just a piece of paper for them- but as you know [or will learn], marriage is a big deal for me. I won't take it lightly, because divorce is wrong. Nor am I going to "do" any of the things the Bible says are clearly for married couples only. Which includes sex...but for me personally, it also includes my first kiss not being till the altar.

I don't know about you, but if a guy like THAT asked me to marry him, forget about some stupid career. What could be more...fulfilling than to just BE with the man that you have been waiting for all your life, that you love with all your heart? What could be a greater demonstration of love than a couple giving freely to each other?? I can think of nothing more romantic. I know, it sounds SOOO...WEIRD. Stupid. Old-fashioned. But then, even though I have up until recently dreaded the idea of "just" being a housewife, I have always been an old-fashioned romantic.

And as I learned, it is nearly impossible to work outside of the home AND take care of all the household things at the same time. SOMETHING will suffer, from lack of time to devote enough attention to it and being too TIRED, be it your relationship with your husband, your children, or house stuff. Oh, you can do it if you hire a maid; but if you don't happen to be rich, well, a maid is kinda out of the picture.

Don't get me wrong- I would still hope for the guy I marry to have a servant's heart enough to help out around the house, not just come home from work and demand his dinner. And I am still going to finish college as I want to have at least one thing I haven't given up on and failed in.

Besides, it is not guaranteed that I will get married one day, and I think it is important to have a career to support myself up until when and if I do get married. Not only that, it is not guaranteed that even if I DO get married one day that my husband will always be fit and able to work- I should have a college degree just incase something happens to him and I need to work because he no longer can. And I think I WILL work a little from home when/if I get married, perhaps opening a small web-design business as a hobby/way to make ends meet or bring in etra money.