Most women start panicking about getting married when their biological clock ticks 26. Some will even do dumb stuff to get married only to regret shortly when things go wrong.
I would like to believe that women view marriage as a race against themselves and whoever ties the knot first, gets promoted into Disneyland. No, you should leave that thought to linger until you celebrate your 30th birthday.
So how do you go through your 20s? First of all, the societal pressure might weigh you down but it won't kill you. The society expects that once you're done with college, you will bring home an impressive dowry that will compensate the cost and efforts it took to educate you. If they see you're lenient and too relaxed to bring home a potential suitor, they will send a word around for prospective suitors. That does not only happen in my village but in most places in Kenya.
If the society is upon you and you feel like you need to stay a bit longer before getting married, ignore their stunts.Twenty-six - twenty-nine, is the age bracket you need to have an absolute fun. Gate crush on parties, hunt for friends in clubs to shake your butt and have a roller coaster trip to Seychelles.
At this age, date a number of guys, all types of dudes, tall, short, slim, fat, dark, brown and what you can have at your disposal. Get to know them and study all the weaknesses men have in life. Know what works for you so that by the time you are ready to settle down, you won't feel trapped in marriage.
Explore your sex life and go an extra mile to determine what will serve you well for the next thirty years after getting married. However, don't do dumb stuff that will leave you feeling void. If you go carelessly with men, they will reap some critical part of you. This will leave you with not-enough-feelings and your excitement about men will have hit rock bottom. Bail yourself from stereotypes and phobia on men. Be smart when you try to ascertain what type of man pushes your right excitement buttons and by the time you hit 29, you must be his big chase in life.
The parental obligations that come with marriage should scare you off. Twenty-six is too early to start having kids and by the time you hit sixty, you'll be worn out. The worst part is when you get less enthusiastic about your marriage in your early 40s.
At some phase in marriage, it starts to feel like work, during the forties, sapping everything from you and you'll always be unlively with your partner. Living with somebody for more than forty years is slogging and that's why it's better to start at 30 and live the next thirty years together. That will definitely work well and you'll both be oozing the vital oomphs, that will fuel your love life.
Figure out what you want in life when you are in your twenties. Your post-teenage-hood life should be one that nourishes your career life. By this time you are vibrant and no obligations in a marriage that will hold you back. In your early 28, you should have developed yourself into a career woman. This is the age that you cut back the number of men in your life and pursue serious guys.
But be warned, don't put all your concentration on studies and career. Be smart and have some men around you to watch your biological clock pace. By doing so, you'll save yourself from the torturous panic of tying down a man. Because if you go beyond 30 and nobody is 'seeing' you, you're doomed for life. A negligible percentage of women in their post-30s get married as first wives- a title you could have been drooling all your life. As an extra tip, men perceive women who are not married in their 30s as dirty, lewd and with biological issues.
If in you are in post-teenage-hood and you've not cracked up the big date to tie the knot, wait till you hit 30. But meanwhile have all the fun in books, work on your self-development and better your career life.