It might happen to be my 30th birthday this week
(if anyone asks I'm turning 29 again
)
I don't really ever at all look or think about my own achievements and feel proud, but maybe I should; especially when comparing to the Inghams and Isabelle who is apparently going to achieve more.
I moved overseas by myself in my early 20s and soon after met my now fiancé. We bought our first house together a few months before I turned 26 (fiancé is a year younger than me). Which also has real inground pool that's not in our garage (we use that for our cars!). We love swimming in our hot Australian summers. We've done a few house renovations, some DIY and anything we can't do ourselves we pay someone qualified to do. We own two nice, modern family cars outright. Never had a single credit card or bank loan, aside from our house mortgage and student loans which we both paid off before buying our home. We both finished school and studied hard to get degrees and good jobs. Everything we have we've worked hard for, no handouts from anyone. We're currently on a 4 week holiday overseas for my birthday and Christmas.
We now have a beautiful little girl who is not far off turning 2. She can count up past 10, and down from 10. Knows most colours, letters, shapes, animals and all the rest. She mostly talks in 3-6 word sentences. I have no doubt she will surpass both Mila and Jace with her intelligence, if she hasn't already. We spend most of her awake hours teaching, playing, loving and nurturing her as a parent should when they decide to have a kid. We didn't need to send her to daycare as I work mostly nights. But we chose to 2 days a week so she can socialise and be around kids her own age. She also loves her weekly swimming lessons, playgroups and toddler time at the library, all around other kids.
I'm so grateful for the way my parents raised me. They are amazing. I had the best childhood. They taught me to work hard for what I want, and never once exploited or neglected me. I hope I can raise my girl and any future kids as good as my parents raised me.
Chrish says Isabelle is going to accomplish more by the time she's 30 than most of us will in a lifetime. I think I've probably accomplished more by 30 than she will in her lifetime. So bloody glad I'm not an Ingham.