Yes they did...and now I, in turn, have been taking care of them. One year ago, they both had to go into a nursing home, as they both now require 24/7 skilled care. For years before that, though, I lived with them and cared for them. So don't give me any crap about not being willing to change a soiled diaper. I've done so countless time for both of my parents.
In the meantime, I'm power of attorney for both medical and financial purposes, and visit them at least three times per week, with multiple daily phone calls. So I know a thing or two about responsibility.
but parenthood is the BEST JOB and the MOST MEANINGFUL JOB that God ever gave anyone to do.
I've been single my entire life, and am almost certain to remain so. Please tell me....do you think I should have kids, given that?
I’m done trying to convey to you the preciousness of babies and children. There are so many AWESOME moments to go along with the difficult ones. I hope one day you truly understand that.
The last thing I need in my life is a child to take care for the next 20 years.
When people are self-centered, they lose out. In a big way. Trouble is, they usually don’t see it until it’s too late.
Yeah, that's me....selfish (insert graphic of rolled eyes).
Pardon me for thinking that you were self-centered based on the following, all things you posted in previous comments. Those were the comments that made me think about self-centered individuals. I am only mentioning them because it was my frame of reference on a thread about a young lady who gave up her baby for adoption.
“I don’t hate them, but I have absolutely zero desire to ever have to care for one.”
“On what basis do you conclude that I would enjoy taking care of a baby? Let me assure you, I know myself pretty well...and I haven’t the slightest yearning to be responsible for a baby for an afternoon, let alone for years.”
“Not having children lets me devote my time and money to myself...and I like it that way.”
Perhaps with your choosing those words, you might understand why I had an ill-informed view of you. I do apologize for having misunderstood you. I hope that you and I can come to understand each other better.
I applaud you for treating your parents with the compassion and dignity that they deserve. When they are older and in their demise, they do revert to childlike behaviors in many ways. I’ve been there and done that with my own two parents and father-in-law. We are currently dealing with the (physical, mental, and financial) issues of our only parent still alive, my mother-in-law. Taking care of our parents in their declining years has also been an honor and a privilege. It is not much different than caring for a child at whatever age from infancy through adulthood.