ArcaMax

As millennials, we were told not to have kids until we were financially responsible. The world had to be just right. Our careers should be stable. Our savings, sufficient. Our ducks? In a row. Yet, the same generation that was warned about the unpredictability of parenthood was also sold on the idea that homeownership was the key to stability. But here's the truth: Owning a house is like having a baby. If you expect the world to stay the same once you've signed the mortgage papers, you're in for a surprise.

Many of us were raised on the promise of the American dream, where a house meant stability, progress, and success. But by the time we hit our 30s, that dream had already been taken out back and set on fire. Housing prices soared, wages stagnated, and the global economy wobbled like a toddler learning to walk. We thought we'd made it when we finally clawed our way into homeownership. But just like parenting, the world never stops changing because we committed to something big.

A baby changes everything. The moment you bring that tiny human home, your well-planned routines crumble. You wake up at odd hours, your budget adjusts for unexpected expenses, and your priorities shift. Parenthood forces you to roll with the punches. There's teething, growth spurts, sicknesses, and, eventually, the wild unpredictability of a teenager's moods.

Owning a home means living in a constant state of adaptation. You close on a house thinking you've locked in security, picturing lazy Sunday mornings in a space that's finally yours. But then the roof leaks. The HVAC system gives out. Your "forever home" is just as unpredictable as a newborn.

Just like parenting, homeownership is an exercise in humility. You think you're in control, but the world has other plans. In the last few years alone, we've seen homeowners blindsided by soaring insurance rates, supply chain shortages making simple repairs impossible, and climate change turning "safe" areas into flood zones. Interest rates jump. Housing values dip or skyrocket overnight. You don't just own a house. You own a living, breathing entity reacting to forces beyond your control.

Our parents might have believed in the American dream as a straight line: get a job, buy a house, raise a family. But our generation knows better. The world is shifting beneath our feet, and clinging to outdated ideas of stability only sets us up for heartbreak. If homeownership is supposed to be the milestone of responsible adulthood, then let's be real about what it means: a lifelong commitment to managing chaos.

So, if you were ever told not to have kids until you were "ready," here's the same advice for buying a home: Don't do it unless you're prepared for your world to change in ways you never expected. Like a child, a house demands flexibility, resilience, and a willingness to adapt. And just like parenting, you might love it. But you may also wonder what you got yourself into.

We were taught to treat responsibility as something we take on only when the world is stable enough to handle it. But the world is never stable. We'd be extinct if we waited for everything to be perfect before having kids. If we waited for the perfect moment to buy a home, we'd be renting forever.

Maybe the real lesson is that homeownership, like parenting, is about learning to ride the waves of change rather than waiting for the storm to pass. And maybe, just maybe, if enough of us demand better from the systems around us, we can start building a world where responsibility isn't such a risky gamble.

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Cassie McClure is a writer, millennial, and unapologetic fan of the Oxford comma. She can be contacted at cassie@mcclurepublications.com. To find out more about Cassie McClure and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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