OK, so Lorelai Gilmore had Rory when she was 16 years old, and while we aren't condoning teen pregnancies (and recognize that Gilmore Girls, as much as we love it, isn't real life), there are some serious benefits to having babies young.
Still, with each passing year, women are waiting longer to have kids. In 1970, the median age was 21. Last year, that number had risen to 26, an age that still feels too young to many career-minded millennials. Although you may often hear your peers extol the thrills of spending their 20s on themselves — traveling, building a career, dating — you can and should be proud of the fact that you spent yours raising kids. Here's why.