Hi everyone! My name is Danica. Happy to be blogging here and nice to meet you. As a born-n-raised Utah County blonde Mormon girl, I’m one of thousands but please don’t stop reading – I think you might like what I have to say each week on this blog. Sure, I’m your average Mormon girl. I know and love this religion, this state, this culture. It also makes me want to set myself on fire pretty routinely. And not always in the spiritual way.

I’m 24. Not particularly old. Quite young, in fact. Yet in Provo years I’m approximately 30. After about age 22 the yearly rate of aging accelerates rapidly. You’re single? Prepare for pitying looks and well-meaning but all-the-more offensive comments about your lack of spouse. More so the longer you stay single.

I married at 21, so I dodged much of this abuse. However, being married for 3 years without even a whiff of imminent motherhood has hit the reset button on the prying and forceful life advice. The number of years you’ve been married without children is in direct proportion to the volume of comments and suggestions that you immediately remedy the situation with a litter of small children.

Why?

Why the emphasis on young, large families? Why the pressure? Why the demand?

It isn’t by direct command of the Priesthood. Sure, we are commanded as Adam and Eve to “multiply and replenish” the earth. We are also commanded to raise up righteous children in Zion, teaching them the doctrine and Gospel of our beloved Jesus Christ. We are taught that there are precious souls in heaven waiting to come to earth in due time to receive bodies, be tested and tried, then return to live with our Heavenly Father. We are “saved” or exalted in and by our family units. This is why families are so crucial to the structure of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Where does it say we must have children immediately? Approximately 9 months from our wedding date? D&C… something… where is it… oh. No where? Not one place? That’s funny. Because from the comments, advice and looks I get you’d think it was in every standard work, every hymn, every General Conference talk.

I plan to tell a few funny/outrageous/awful stories from my life as a young-married-no-kids for you guys as this series continues, but suffice it to say I can’t swing a purse not filled with baby snacks without hitting a Mormon woman telling me I should be having kids.

I believe, as most Mormons do, that the family is KEY. The family is the primary unit of our Church. I can assure you that I take it incredibly seriously.

Which is why I haven’t had children yet.

Well, and because I also like to sleep.

Tune in next week for my epic throwdown with a judgy RS sister who I’m certain has a sweet spirit.