"Waiting" Too Long?

I was ironing (it's ironic that I was doing so, actually) when Morning Edition did a segment about young moms. The lead was something like, "...women are waiting too long to have children". READ IT OR LISTEN HERE. This phrase, and the report (although I know I'm being hypersensitive) annoyed me.

Fertility peaks at age 22, it said. By 35, pregnancy is "much harder to achieve". "The American Society for Reproductive Medicine tried to warn women were waiting too late, but they just didn't listen".

"Just didn't listen"?!! "Tried to warn me"?!! Oh, I'm sorry, did I choose to not find myself a suitable mate before age 32? The report says that women have been so focused on career that they are waiting too long to have kids. Are these women so focused that they can't find a decent partner or do they find their partner while becoming super-fantastic in the work force like some yuppy, perfect, feel-free-to-allow-me-to-punch-you-in-your-happy-in-love-face fairy tale. 'Cause personally, I'm not experiencing either.

Although I don't know the solution, perhaps our society needs to find a way to make both possible. Then maybe, we won't be pumping ourselves full of hormones and having four-child litters at age 38 while reminding ourselves how proud we are that we became partners at our law firms.

I remember watching some movie in which the main character said that cultures in which people have arranged marriages may be on to something - then that way we could always blame our parents if it didn't work out.
But I digress. My diatribe about the lack of prospects is for another time (lucky you).

In the meantime, NPR, I'm not waiting til I'm 38. I would like to be married and starting a family, but unfortunately, that whole It will happen when you're ready concept just ain't true (sorry Mom). When I was in high school, I thought I'd meet him in college. When that didn't happen and I was around 22, I thought surely I'll meet him by 25. Still single at 26, I thought, I'm still young, I'm sure I'll meet someone by the time I'm 30. Now 32, I figure I'll give myself til 36, then maybe I'll except spinsterhood and cash in my reporoductive chips. I hear they go for a lot these days, and by the time four years go by and the recession is over, I may be able to get me a bundle for them.

(And the Academy Award for "Self-Pitying Single Girl" goes to...)