Status

My students appear genuinely concerned about my non-married, childless status. It's come up a few times with my middle schoolers, and they look nearly anguished when we discuss the facts, namely:  I'm 34, single, and without children; and yes, I have two beautiful sisters who are married (they always want to know about siblings + siblings' statuses).

As persuasively as possible, I tell them that marriage is a big commitment, as is raising kids, and I want to be certain that if I engage in those activities, it's for the right reasons, with the right person. The students remain skeptical and seem increasingly to view me as some sort of alien -which technically I am, of course.

Maybe I'm taking on too much, but if I can influence their thinking, even a bit, by sharing a positive perspective on what it's like to be single and over 30, I'm happy to do so. Who knows, perhaps I could even help effect a mini cultural revolution in the process.