[img]541|left|||no_popup[/img] Maybe my “clock” is broken. Some people certainly seem to think so. But I ask, is it really so weird to be a woman in my mid-thirties and not want children of my own?
I have spent the last 15 years coming up with creative excuses as to why I either don’t plan to have or don’t already have kids. Yes, I am independent. And yes, I do enjoy being able to record into all hours of the night, knowing I can sleep in past 6 the next morning. But those are not real reasons.
In the end, though, I think my lack of drive to procreate has something to do with the joy I receive from supporting all my students – young and old. I am proud of the champion 8th grade soccer player, the honors students, the adult who performed her first chamber music recital a few months back, the author who is currently on a book tour, and the cellist/actor who just two weeks ago performed Shakespeare. It doesn’t matter to me that we are not related by blood; we are in the same community.
I have always resonated with the statement, “it takes a village to raise a child,” and I am happy to be a villager. I recognize that this could change, but at least for the time being, I do not need to possess my “own” offspring to feel like I am an integral part of the community.
Ms. Dewberry, an accomplished cellist, completed her DMA in Chamber Music Performance from UCLA in December 2005. She received her MM in Cello Performance from UCLA in June 2002 and her B.M. in Cello Performance from Western Michigan University in April 1998. She also holds a B.A. in French with a minor in Women's Studies and Philosophy.
Her website is www.carterdewberry.com
She may be contacted at carter@carterdewberry.com
