I'm thrilled for her. I watched her wedding on Animal Planet and they are so in love. They are young but I think will be wonderful parents.

Anonymous wrote:Whatever happened to a simple “congratulations” when hearing about a pregnancy?

Pp you didnt even say that! Lol. You dont have to particpate if u are not interested.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whatever happened to a simple “congratulations” when hearing about a pregnancy?

I was told that we don't do that on DCUM.

I agree with you though, she seems stable and happy, so congrats.

Agreed that DCUM doesn't work that way, and really agree with wishing them the best.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a description of how the system works in Australia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_and_further_education. Anyway, her certs are III-level, so not bachelors-level university course work... but each one takes 1-2 years and is considered a real post-HS credential in the relevant industry.

Sounds like a vocational degree without the technical expertise like a welder would have. Or a paralegal certificate but paralegals usually have a college degree attached.

Basically, but it's a pretty normal route to go in Australia. (Hers is literally from *the* government-sponsored vocational education provider in her state, so it's not like a random for profit rip off like we might imagine in the US.) A welder degree would do a Cert IV, which relates to specialised/technical skills, but which would not otherwise be more involved. More general certs like business, etc are in the III category and this is the immediate pre-diploma category, so it is sort of like a real paralegal degree in some ways. (In the US we would definitely call this an associates, degrees are just more regulated in Australia.) Anyway, for someone in her position with an established business/occupation, Cert IIIs in business and tourism are a very normal choice for someone not interested in pursuing a more theoretical/academic university degree. All of this is just to say that she wouldn't be considered to be specifically lacking in education in Australia; only about 25% of Australians have university degrees.

Anonymous wrote:Whatever happened to a simple “congratulations” when hearing about a pregnancy?

I was told that we don't do that on DCUM.

I agree with you though, she seems stable and happy, so congrats.

Whatever happened to a simple “congratulations” when hearing about a pregnancy?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was 21 when I had my oldest. I had so much energy to play with my kid and her friends loved that I actually played with them all and didn’t get tired or hurt the way their moms did. I had my second kid older and it was so different. I still made the effort to run around, but my body hurt the next day.

LOLLL these older moms are 40, not 80. Plenty of 40 year old women run marathons. If you're tired and hurt the next day after running around after a kid, you need to see a trainer and/or a doctor. That's not normal or healthy.

Not just running in the literal sense of the word, but playing hard like monkey bars, clambering over the wooden wall, rolling down hills, jumping out of trees. The older moms didn’t even try.

I’m closing in on 45, and I both run for me, and play on the monkey bars with my 3 year old. I’m in far better shape than most of the 20 and 30 somethings at the park. I don’t think anything about getting down on the ground with her, or running after her, or lifting her, climbing a tree with her, etc. I also am past the point where I’m worried about looking a certain way, so I don’t really GAF if I look ridiculous doing it, or if we get dirty.

It’s not Just because you’re getting older that you ache - it’s because your body is suffering lack of use. I feel *much* better when I am active. I went through an inactive period When I was younger, and my hips ached... I don’t have that any more.

You do all of that extra stuff to prove to the world and your daughter that you aren't old and that you didn't really wait too late. We see you.

I'm not the PP, but yes... when I'm alone with my children on the playground, I definitely engage and run with them to prove to the world that I'm not old.

I'm 40 with a 3.5 year old and 22 month old. I feel pretty great and my body bounced right back both times (though to be fair, I take no credit, it's dumb luck and genetics). I'm able to run and play endlessly - I run a few miles every other day and the playground shenanigans are no big deal in terms of keeping up. Let's not assume we are all miserable, exhausted grannies who secretly think they waited too long, ok? 40 is not 60. Your health and energy doesn't suddenly plummet on your 40th birthday.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was 21 when I had my oldest. I had so much energy to play with my kid and her friends loved that I actually played with them all and didn’t get tired or hurt the way their moms did. I had my second kid older and it was so different. I still made the effort to run around, but my body hurt the next day.

LOLLL these older moms are 40, not 80. Plenty of 40 year old women run marathons. If you're tired and hurt the next day after running around after a kid, you need to see a trainer and/or a doctor. That's not normal or healthy.

Not just running in the literal sense of the word, but playing hard like monkey bars, clambering over the wooden wall, rolling down hills, jumping out of trees. The older moms didn’t even try.

I’m closing in on 45, and I both run for me, and play on the monkey bars with my 3 year old. I’m in far better shape than most of the 20 and 30 somethings at the park. I don’t think anything about getting down on the ground with her, or running after her, or lifting her, climbing a tree with her, etc. I also am past the point where I’m worried about looking a certain way, so I don’t really GAF if I look ridiculous doing it, or if we get dirty.

It’s not Just because you’re getting older that you ache - it’s because your body is suffering lack of use. I feel *much* better when I am active. I went through an inactive period When I was younger, and my hips ached... I don’t have that any more.

You do all of that extra stuff to prove to the world and your daughter that you aren't old and that you didn't really wait too late. We see you.

Anonymous wrote:Here's a description of how the system works in Australia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_and_further_education. Anyway, her certs are III-level, so not bachelors-level university course work... but each one takes 1-2 years and is considered a real post-HS credential in the relevant industry.

Sounds like a vocational degree without the technical expertise like a welder would have. Or a paralegal certificate but paralegals usually have a college degree attached.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I kind of agree with PP in that they seem to aggressively be marketing their personal lives all of a sudden, starting with Bindi, and it's worrisome. I hope I'm wrong and she's not being steered by an ambitious Momager.

22 in this day and age does seem to be young, and not just on DCUM. I'm an older mom by my own choice (didn't even start trying for my first until I was nearly 35) but I have friends who were ready to be parents at 25 and I was fully supportive. But 22... I don't know. I would be pretty unhappy if my

Oops, accidentally hit submit.

Was trying to say, I would be pretty unhappy if my daughter was married and expecting at 22 instead of exploring the world. I mean, I would be supportive if that was what she truly wanted... but still sad for her.

Tou would be sad for your daughter for fulfilling her dreams instead of your dreams for her? That's sad.

Yes. Because she wouldn't even know what she was missing out on, by making such a life-altering decision at 22. Don't we all have hopes and dreams for our children? Isn't that why we focus on and invest in their development, education, physical fitness and health, etc.? As I said, I would be supportive no matter what, because the most important thing to me is that my children are happy and healthy - but NO, it's not what I would want for her at such a young age.

Sure we all have hopes in dreams for our kids, but that doesn't mean it's a done deal, because they're their own person. A person who gets to determine what they want out of life and what will make them happy. I would never dream of being so entitled over my child's life that I would have the audacity to be "unhappy or sad" over something like this. That I;d just have to be "supportive" if they didn't do exactly as I had planned for them. I feel sorry for your child.

Here's a description of how the system works in Australia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_and_further_education. Anyway, her certs are III-level, so not bachelors-level university course work... but each one takes 1-2 years and is considered a real post-HS credential in the relevant industry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's really not uncommon among non-college-educated women to have kids around 20/21.

20/21 year olds do not have degrees
I do know of college students with a baby though. Some say college is a good time to have one. You will not need to disrupt a career for a baby and we are actually designed to biologically have kids at that age

They most certainly do.

Associate degrees or batchelor
Australians are between 17 and 18 when they finish high school.

People who graduate college in three years receive a degree at 21. Or people who graduate in 4 years but have a summer birthday graduate at 21 and turn 22 1-3 months after graduation. People get associates degrees at 20.

And that doesn't include people who are academically gifted and receive degrees at 16 or 17.

Bindi has a HS degree and two certificates (which are sort of the equivalent of vocational associates degrees, each requiring 10-12ish units) from TAFE Queensland, the equivalent of a vocationally-oriented state university. Her certs are in Business and Tourism. I can't think of an exact US equivalent and it's definitely not a super-academic route, but it is considered having a degree of sorts in Australia.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's really not uncommon among non-college-educated women to have kids around 20/21.

20/21 year olds do not have degrees
I do know of college students with a baby though. Some say college is a good time to have one. You will not need to disrupt a career for a baby and we are actually designed to biologically have kids at that age

They most certainly do.

Associate degrees or batchelor
Australians are between 17 and 18 when they finish high school.

People who graduate college in three years receive a degree at 21. Or people who graduate in 4 years but have a summer birthday graduate at 21 and turn 22 1-3 months after graduation. People get associates degrees at 20.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still think of the little baby following her dad around. They're very young, but it isn't impossible.

Since they're already married and the baby is coming why not just wish them the best?

You can wish them well and still have a robust discussion.

This isn't a robust discussion. IT's There must be something wrong with her and she's ruining her life, because she's married and ahving a baby at 22 instead of galavanting across Europe, getting drunk, having lots of boyfriends, and waiting until she's 25 to get married and struggle with having a baby like I did.

Looks like a robust discussion to me!