Hi let’s get married, sorry, what?

not quite yet please!

As my (male) friends and acquaintances begin to get settled into their mid-twenties, find a job, a secure circle of friends and a flat, it occurs to them that one thing is missing. Unfortunately, only one of them got a puppy, the majority of the rest of them have decided that what is missing is a wife. Ignoring ideas given to us by movies like Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached, my friends have decided that to perfect their lifestyle they want a girlfriend. But not just ANY girl, not just any girlfriend for that matter. They want a wifey.

It’s almost like seeing a cake, knowing the cake is made up of flour, butter and eggs, but rather than follow a recipe you throw everything together in a bowl and hope for the best. (Ok, not the best analogy but you get the picture).

I think it’s strange though... All these years boyfriends have come and gone and my friends and I have tried (and often failed) to get our beaus to commit and got highly frustrated to be in a relationship that is essentially going nowhere. And just as we begin to get used to the idea that we’re miles from commitment, the whole game changes. I’m the first to admit that I used to have a very solid plan of where I wanted my life to go... But now I have no idea where I see myself next week let alone next year. And all these propositions scare me half to death. Someone asked me whether I would consider a long distance relationship and yet we’d never been on a date. Another boy told me I better get a move on with my career because I only have a few years left. "A few more years left until what?" "Until you give up your career and become a mother. My wife won't work past 33." SAY WHAT?! It seems to me that love and relationships are being made to be an equation rather than an emotion. But perhaps they’re onto the right decision here... If it is seen more as an equation then we would be picking our potential mate with criteria that would probably be more successful than an initial “spark” I know us girls love. However, I think that takes away all the fun of relationships and dating. I just don’t really buy into this idea that because you think they’re suitable with your lifestyle, that means you can follow some simple steps and fall in love.

But I’m a hopeless romantic. I still buy into the possibility of love at first sight and butterflies... But as I said, I just can’t see past next week, so let’s not get married just yet.