EVERYONE I KNOW IS PREGNANT
The Pressure to Fit in and Keep Up!
Right now, five different couples in my social circle are expecting. Over the past year, three of my close friends have given birth. At 35, it feels like the tides have finally shifted from “we’re all just trying to make it in this wild town” to “can you come to my child’s birthday party?” As someone who has been historically ambivalent about having kids, it’s genuinely surprised me how affected I feel by the (unintentional) social pressure to not get left behind as their lives change. I don’t want peer pressure to influence one of the most important decisions of my life, but I’m also not sure how to rise above it and detach what is right for me from the desire to fit in.