I Lived an "Alternative Lifestyle".

At twenty-three years old, Spouse and I had been married for three years.
We had already gone through the "stupid over-spending" phase and the
"two single people living in the same apartment" phase.
Thankfully, we made it through those rough years fairly unscathed.
Smiling.

We were both working, I was in school, and had been parenting a
fourteen year old boy for a year.
We were struggling to pay bills, going to parent-teacher conferences
and in leadership positions at church.

By NBC Olympic's Skylar Wilder's standards, we were living an "alternative lifestyle".

David Wise, is an Olympic Gold Medal skier.
He's twenty-three. He's also a husband and father.

{Source}

According to Wilder, "At such a young age, Wise has the lifestyle of an adult."

Well, how do I say this gently? La-Di-Freakin-Dah!
He has the lifestyle of an adult because HE IS ONE!
Does he deserve a medal for becoming a man? No. Manhood is its own reward.
According this article by the Christian Post, he and his wife are in leadership with
their church's youth ministry and he hopes to one day pastor a church.
I hope he does. Fantastic. He'll get his reward.
My Bible calls them crowns.

To be clear, David Wise has accomplished great things in his athleticism and sport.
Being an Olympian is definitely something most of us will never accomplish.
Being an Olympic Gold Medalist, even more so. That type of commitment and sacrifice,
that he and his wife have made, is commendable.
As far as I can tell, he deserves his medal completely.

When (When?!) did being a husband and dad become an "alternative lifestyle"?

Newsflash: If you are an able-bodied, able-minded twenty-three year old, married or single,
you are an adult. Act like it. This is not "alternative".

There is a real problem when twenty-three is considered guyhood, rather than adulthood.
Why are we keeping our boys boys? They need to be working by much younger than twenty-three, and I'd even argue the work needs to be physical, if possible. They need it. Masculinity is cultivated through projects like building something with power tools, digging ditches, and working on a car.
Athletics are good, physical outlets, too.

Let's encourage manhood, by not making it the exception, but the expected.

Thoughts?

Love! Melissa