I’ve been married off and on since I was 19, with maybe a year of being single in between each marriage. I lived alone during those single times, and I can say that as much as I love living and being with my third and final husband (my soul mate, if I may say, who I met when we were 17), living alone was UH-MA-ZING. I truly enjoyed it so so so much. My space, my time, my stuff, my shows, all on my own schedule. The only thing that matches it (but does not exceed it - they’re on either side of the coin) is living with the right person. (Living with the wrong one is a drag. I’d much rather be alone.)

I’m with you completely - we really should stop conditioning kids to follow certain life paths, or to see any one path as inherently superior to another, whether it’s college, marriage, kids, chasing wealth or attention, or anything else. What better lives they’d have if they were allowed to think for themselves and follow their instincts without inhibition or judgment.