As soon as I reached twenty years old, I hated going to family functions. Why you may ask? Because there was no doubt in my mind that I would be asked by at least three relatives what my future life plans were. The pressure was on, to not only make myself look good but to make my single mom, who raised me for 18 years alone, look good as well. You can be assured that my mom was on the sidelines, like a proud cheerleader parent giving me a thumbs up and a smile when I was answering well.

My typical response would look like:

-Finish my undergraduate degree by 22 years old
-Attend and finish Osgoode Law School by 26 years old
-Meet the love of my life and get married by 28 years old
-Start having a family by 30 years old

Twenty years old, has been a very confusing time for me. Am I a girl, a woman…or something in between? This is a question that constantly runs through my mind. Sometimes my parents still treat me like I’m their “little girl” yet I am expected to be a “woman” …to know exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life.

I mean let’s be real…women definitely get the shitty end of the stick. They are expected to build their career more quickly than men because they need to get married and start having children while they are still “young”. But what is considered “young”? And why do we have to put a time limit on the things we would like accomplish?

Finally, I got fed up and stopped answering the “what are your future plans?” question with a scripted answer. My new response became: “I have goals…not a five-year or even ten-year plan!”.

I have goals of travelling the world with my family and friends, of meeting someone who I can spend the rest of life with, and yes maybe even have a family.

But will that all happen? And if so, when will it happen? Who’s to know? But at the end of the day I am content with not knowing EXACTLY what my future looks like. Isn’t that the fun in it anyways?

~Miss Twenty Something

How does the question: “What are your future goals?” make you feel? Let me know in the comments below.