Posted on 01/03/2005 8:31:56 AM PST by qam1
Can we start a club?
Well, you can throw all kinds of caveates out there for having kids too.
Parenthood is more than being horny, which for most of the world is about all the thought that is given to it.
But the people I see in this article are not trailer park welfare queens. They are professional, productive people who may have in some instances made intelligent decisions.
But their decision not to have kids simply can not functionally be the model for as much of the population as it is being promoted for.
The normal state of couples is parenthood, and the reasons for not being parents have nothing to do with global warming or not having enough time for yourself. Those are stupid, selfish reasons and if that is all they can come up with they need to grow up.
Chances are if you can tolerate a spouse and a house, you can tolerate parenthood.
Adoption...I imagine as wars and natural disasters increase there are and will be many young children in need of decent homes...and loving parents....
My father always said that Grandchildren were your reward for not killing your own.
People who wait to have children until they can afford it and can provide properly for them seldom have children.
"...Childless folks went for Kerry, while parents went for Bush..."
That is an aburd, broad-brush assessment. So, for whom did the gun-owning, pro-military, fiscally-conservative, anti-terrorist, YET childless people vote?
~ Blue Jays ~
Understood.... it ain't easy, even with big families. Some who are alone thrive more in the more social environment of retirement and assisted living places, where there are people around. It isn't one-size fits all.
It's not immature though to not want children. Not everyone has the desire to raise kids. Why is that so tough for you to understand?
I did not say that. I will say that a society that gives equal "status" (recognition - searching for the word) to non precreators as to mothers and fathers is exhibiting a tendency toward self destruction.
And, unfortunately, plenty of parents treat their kids like dogs.
My sister-in-law, for example, who, in a just world, would have her tubes tied, by force if necessary.
A child is being Fedex'ed to you immediately. Complete instruction manual included.
Actually, I made no judgments in any of my posts about others' choices, other than a joking reference to those who treat their dogs as their children.
I've mainly stated my viewpoint, which is that my children are my life, my most important accomplishment, and my legacy.
I wouldn't trade 'em for anything.
Well, if they decide to have kids when they know they cannot afford them, then they had better not come looking to my wallet to pay for them.
Yeah, the homosexual conspiracy theorists are not raising the level of dialogue on FR. Unfortunately, there's enough of them to appear at least once on every thread.
If she didn't have medical issues, we could have done it. But at least we didn't dump and forget her.
I have no problem with people who want to be childless. Honestly, there are some people who should just not have children. I only get mad at people who assume that all children are little monsters. In one restaurant years ago a lady saw my 8 month old son at our table and loudly complained about "not another baby". Except for a few giggles from him that had other customers smiling he was very well behaved.
That can happen even when folks have children. My husband worked with and developed a friendship with a gentleman twenty years ago. He had two children. After his wife died, the man lived alone and soon could no longer care for himself. My husband cooked every meal he ate, cleaned his house, bought his groceries, literally, did everything for the man.
Eventually, hubby realized he needed full time care, so we placed him in an assisted living facility. His retirement monies paid for half of the expenses, we picked up the remainder. The last few months of his life were spent in a full care nursing home. He no longer recognized my husband and in a short time, died in the nursing home. We never saw his children once prior to his death - and they live in the same town. They did, however, manage to go by the nursing home immediately after the funeral and take the tv, wheelchair, and possessions we had purchased for their father.
Note to self: Don't sign for any Fed Ex packages today. ;)
I would say that any society that applies any legally meaningful "status" to a law-abiding adult other than "adult" has arguably already self-destructed.
You are right, some people don't deserve to be parents.
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