Census: Record Number of Women Childless

Yahoo! News ^ | 10/24/2003 | GENARO C. ARMAS

[LadyDoc]

and then some of us are infertile, and adopt...

[Pedantic_Lady]

Actually, if you would use your research skills you would find that statement to be patently false. The vast majority of homeschooling parents are doing a good to excellent job (which is more than you can say for the public school system). It's too easy to dump your kids in taxpayer supported schools. If parents aren't dedicated to their kids, they tend not to homeschool.

You are of course entitled to your opinion, but I must respectfully disagree. I find it bordering on offensive to be told that my parents were not dedicated to my brother and I simply because they placed us in public schools.

[Lancey Howard]

Anne Hare and her husband made a momentous decision three years ago: They would not have children. It's not that they don't like kids, she says. They simply don't want to alter the lifestyle they enjoy.

I can scarcely imagine anything more selfish.

[ex-snook]

 

[DumpsterDiver]

[They simply don't want to alter the lifestyle they enjoy.] I can scarcely imagine anything more selfish.

There are worse things:

Andrea Yates, girls/women throwing newborns in the dumpster, parents who sexually abuse their kids, parents who have no time to spend with junior, women who choose to have kids with no father in the picture, etc.

[LWalk18]

I can scarcely imagine anything more selfish.

How about having children that cannot support emotionally or financially? Reproducing does not make to noble- making a genuine effort to raise productive adults is. So long as they are careful not to get pregnant and then aborting the child, I don't have a problem with those who are honest about their true selves, instead of having trophy children to please society.

[Pedantic_Lady]

I'm sorry to inform you, but your logic skills aren't up to par, either. NOTHING was said about public school parents. Only homeschooling parents. Please read again. I happen to know that there are many dedicated public school parents. I have been one of them.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I am perfectly capable of reading and understanding what you have written. Don't try to blame me for "misunderstanding" something when you are clearly backpedaling.

Parents who choose to homeschool, but aren't dedicated to their children soon lose interest in homeschooling. Period.

That is your opinion. I know for a fact that many parents are simply not up to the task and that in many states, parents require no formal training or certification of any kind. The vast majority of teachers have at least a bachelor's degree, usually in the subject they teach or in elementary education. I would rather have my hypothetical children taught by someone who is qualified to teach them. I am sorry if that makes me an "undedicated" parent in your eyes...and please don't take this the wrong way...but I am not going to change my mind simply because you disagree with me or attempt to criticize my education or intellect.

[Pedantic_Lady]

If those people don't want children, they certainly shouldn't have them; in fact, I think it would be more selfish of them to have children than to remain childless.

[yarddog]

I come from a family of teachers. I also attended a very good public school. My daughter was recently named teacher of the year for her district.

Despite that, if I had it to do over again, my children would be homeschooled.

[longtermmemmory]

I know a number of women who are lawyers who are like that. One of them carries it further and say that there should be tax penalties to anyone who reproduces.

[Pedantic_Lady]

When I have children, I intend to send them to the local public school. I received an excellent education in public school and I don't intend to give up a career to do a job that the public schools can do just as well...if not better. I am not a teacher and I don't want to be one. Perhaps that makes me selfish, but it also puts me amongst the majority of Americans who send their children off to school, then go to work...so I'm not very unusual.

[Pedantic_Lady]

I've met people like that. They're ridiculous.

[philetus]

That's their problem.

[yarddog]

The fact is that public schools are not what they once were. They are centers of liberal indoctrination.

The truth is that homeschoolers simply do better on tests. That is not an arguable point. I guess one might argue about why but the fact is they do better period.

Just because you can find individuals who are poor teachers is not the point. There are plenty of public school teachers who are near illiterates.

[freedumb2003]

I can scarcely imagine anything more selfish.

So how is having children selfless? I would go as far as to say that having kids, especially when it is done by old people or people who have no intension of bringing up thir children (i.e. 2-income couples) are much, much more selfish.

They want to have kids, but the actual result of that desire (the kids) have a bad life. Creating a person and condemning them to unhappiness when they had no say in the matter is a bad, bad thing.

[Pedantic_Lady]

I don't agree that public schools are centers of liberal indoctrination. I don't know why homeschoolers do better on tests, but it could have something to do with all the individual attention and the fact that one has to make quite a bit of money to get by on one income these days...children from wealthier families tend to do better on those types of tests anyway.

You say that plenty of public school teachers are "near illiterates," but I've never met one. Perhaps I was lucky, but I never had a teacher that I thought was an idiot.

[yarddog]

I have not met too many who were illiterate but I know a fair number fail a simple test of knowledge. My Brother is a teacher and he took the test while he was in Georgia.

He was a little worried about it, but he said it turned out to be really, really easy.

After I retired, I though just a little bit about teaching for a few years. I decided to substitute to see how I liked it. I read a few history and civics textbooks and they were frighteningly leftist. Clearly an attempt to indoctrinate our children.

[herkbird]

"I hope these childless women don't expect my children to be footing the bill for their Social Security, Medicare, and Prescription Drugs."

That's awful stupid, that childless women, man, or, couple paid up the Wazoo to educate your children. Fair is Fair.........