A Gift for Neil Cohen

I just spent part of my lunch hour listening to NPR's Talk of the Nation and decided to turn it off after hearing the teaser for the second hour, Just how old is too old to have children? Neil Cohen promising to get down to the bottom of this and find out THE answer. As if there is just one answer for ANYTHING in life! The biggest complaint I have about this topic is, who the fuck cares how old a woman is when she decides to nuture a child in love and joy?! Age is just a number, that's all, nothing else. I'm 30 years old, but still feel like I'm 8 more than half the time. Growing old gets such a bad rap with society because of our fear. Fear of how we are going to lose our beauty, lose our independence, lose our intelligence, lose our fun, lose everything. And that can be one perspective, but another perspective is how much one will gain, whether it be in experience or memories or wealth or wisdom or beautiful moments or WHATEVER! But I digress.....

Back to my bone to pick with Neil Cohen.... Now, I know that Neil is not the producer of his own show and perhaps only gets a partial vote as to what stories get aired, if that, but who the hell is he to really be talking about maternal issues?! And more importantly, why are we talking about this when it ultimately doesn't matter?! Ideally a woman is the one who makes the decision about when she is ready to embark on the parenthood adventure, and as long as she is ready to bring the child up in love the best way she knows how, it doesn't matter what age she is. We as a society are so quick to judge others and compare ourselves to what we think is 'right' or 'wrong', when in fact, there isn't any right or wrong, things just are. So what, a woman in her 60's wants to start having a family, big deal. It's her decision, I'm happy for her and wish her the best, but ultimately it doesn't affect me in the least because I'M NOT HER. She's the only one who makes the decision, and thus she is the only one who has to deal with whatever consequences, positive or negative, that may come about as a result of her decision. This topic is almost too broad and immense for me to even address in a blog.

I just think Neil, NPR, and society in large, is missing the whole point, and that is why I would like to personally give him a purple bracelet as a reminder that he isn't responsible for anyone other than himself on this planet. Therefore, just let it go, man, let the judgments and the fear and the criticisms go, and be able to embrace people's choices with enthusiasm and happiness and joy, that whatever they decide, you don't have to deal with it because you didn't make the decision, they did. It's important to be a positive and encouraging force for one another, even for people we don't know. It just creates good karma, and that is what the world desperately needs right now. Thank God Reverend Bowen sees the Light!