No Children

brahhhhh hahahahahaha.
ha.

classic.

 

It's beyond repair, so no worries.
Honestly, more of the hippies of my parents' generation should have had more babies, if you want the truth of it.
The whole game was lost by 1980.

 

Not even gonna lie... my first thought was: "Oh, grandma! Hah, you always say every generation before this one was better."

 

I'm not quite sure how you're understanding anything about my opinion on the matter, seeing as I haven't offered one.

You seemed to imply that you didn't care about global warming because you weren't going to be around to suffer from it in the same post where you complained about breeders for having children with no regard for how that choice would affect other people. Seemed contradictory to me, that's all.

 

I'm sorry.
But the old 'those crazy kids' argument really doesn't have much traction in the 21st century. Get with the times, old man.

 

I nearly broke up with my first wife when she wanted children and I didn't (or, at least, wasn't ready). She decided she didn't want to break up and the kid thing was put on the back-burner.

Sometime later, she thought she was pregnant. It was a false alarm. However, I was shocked to discover that I was disappointed. I still don't understand that. We went on to have kids. Two of the little shits.

They have grown up now. They were fun at times (still are). They were exasperating at times (still are). They are individuals and contain some characteristics that have to do with their parents and some that come from some other place entirely. I love them both and like them both. As adults, it's great to talk to them. We have something in common now - all three of us wonder what we want to be when we grow up. Well, to be honest, my daughter is probably already grown up.

Moral of the story? There isn't one. We just do stuff and have little idea what the alternative life would have been like.

 

I thought about this and read what everyone has said. There are so many different discussion points on having kids or not.
From my generation and where I lived and was raised, definitely had an impact on my thoughts of wanting kids.
First observation: being raised in a family arena of Irish American’s, Catholic, and Philadelphia Pa.
Second observation: grandmother had 7 kids, my Dad her son had 7 kids, then went on to have another with his new wife, 40 some years ago.
Third observation: the combine 8 siblings have 20 kids. Not one of us thought about NOT having kids, it was just the way it was in our family.
Last observation: Out of those 20 kids I would say that their thoughts on having kids is totally different, where they sound more like the comments here at TFP.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is no one should feel pressured to have kids if they don’t want them. I see nothing wrong with waiting until you’re in your 30’s or 40’s or not having them at all. They are expensive, even after they turn 18 and you never stop worry about them, but I do love them. They have brought great things into my life that I will never forget.
Now the point of someone saying people have kids because they don’t want to die alone. Well sounds like a myth.
I was there with both father and mother in law when they died, the sad thing about that was their own children didn’t want to be there when they were told the time is near. On top of that, I remember my mother-in-law crying after being told she was going to die because of her condition. I was totally floored when she told me she was crying because she was going to die before her husband of 54 years, which I finally realized she really despised him.
Yeah that woke me up even more on where I want to be in the near future. Still love my kids.

 

Have children! is not the sort of advice I would give to anyone.
I mean, it's not that simple. I love my kids and they are very important people in my life - I am so happy to have them in my life.
But you can have fabulous relationships with other people, too.

Having kids and raising them is hard and problematic at times. Plus, you never know what you're going to end up with. I don't care how good of a parent you are, that adult you end up with is not simply a reflection of what a fantastic role model you are. They are humans with their own innate strengths and weaknesses.

Anyone who tells you that parenthood is, by default, the most wonderful and fulfilling thing that a person can accomplish in their life is leaving out a lot of stuff. They are selling a bill of goods. Don't let them fool you.

I would say that if you're doubtful about having kids, then don't have them. It's everything you imagine it to be. And more - good and bad. BUT, if you do find yourself and/or your SO pregnant and decide to have it, then if you are at all a decent person you will go about being a parent without a lot of hand-wringing about it because it will just become what you do. That is the true miracle of becoming a parent. Waking up one day and realizing that you just do all this stuff without all the worry and doubt that goes into thinking about having children. That's the way that I see it, anyway. That's the way being a parent has been for me. Sort of mundane, sort of routine.

 

That's it, in a nutshell, I'd say.
--- merged: Aug 30, 2012 at 12:57 PM ---

If you equate intelligence with the ability to be financially successful (cunning) I would agree if I equated intelligence with with success, which I don't.

Idiocracy can indeed happen and is occurring. The world only needs a well entrenched number of cunning, wealthy and powerful men (not necessarily intelligent but sociopathic enough to get their way) to design and control a population of dummies. Give the dummies religion, give em Walmart, entertain them, keep them doped up on a modicum of comfort, limit their choices, dumb down their education and let them breed until all the free thinking radical types have been rendered extinct then introduce a nasty virus into their population to whittle the dummies down a bit.

The US is a prime example. Not that their weren't always stupid people in America and perhaps my opinion comes from living in the Southern part of the US for the last 20 years, but if an exhaustive amount of polling Americans on a variety of issues, revealing an embarrassingly low level of intelligence and basic knowledge, isn't an adequate indicator as to how dumb we as a nation have become, I struggle to imagine what else is and if you think they're a non-threatening minority, I think you're wrong.

Cunning and the ability to manipulate profit is not my definition of intelligence. A membership in Mensa is not an indicator either. The intelligent people I'm talking about are thoughtful about their decisions and actions and the impact they may have on others. They know a lot of shit but are always eager to learn more. They understand social concepts and consequences and can reasonably predict the outcome of treachery, greed and manipulation as well as the outcome of compassion, charity, and fair play. They are curious about other countries and cultures. They are not nationalistic or narrow-minded. They are generally not religious but if they are, they are open minded about their religion. They don't aspire to be uneducated or label those who are as un-American.

I suppose when I say intelligent, I really mean not stupid, inconsiderate, thoughtless, close minded assholes. Is it too much to ask that there be less of them to have to deal with?

 

TIL: I'm glad JonieMack moved to another country.

 

I'm dreadfully wounded by that comment while being fully aware that only my children miss me.

Fuck all of ya. Having a blast here in the land of free health-care despite the low-class, sub-intelligent riff-raff I continue to find myself having to deal with. (They're spreading like the plague)

 

Ooooh, I'm just sad... Alistair locked it down before I could put the moves on you.

Would it be appropriate to cry right now? Ya know, for the one that got away?

 

You're obviously dealing with scousers on a regular basis. I feel sorry for you.

 

Nah. She's still a level 1 noob. She isn't ready for a scouser yet. Give me a few weeks to groom her.

No, we just like to follow you around. If only because we're curious what you will do next.

 

or...you could really blow her mind by putting her in a room with a scouser and an east ender with strong cockney at the same time

 

I never had kids, by choice for many, many reasons. So whenever I'm asked why I don't or didn't have kids (like I'm sick or an alien)
I always say; " Oh, I forgot to..."

And then I smile.
Meanwhile I've been traveling in Europe and expanding my career and living happily as the "DINK' lifestyle affords...and still have no regrets at all.

 

I'd like to add that my brother and his wife had 4 kids (they wanted 6 or 7 - good Catholic that She is (?!) and are both very educated and have enough money to send them all to college. So I feel that He took the big generational hit for me....hence their creative and hopefully positive genes will be present in the future generations. They are all tall and extremely healthy!

But note: Together they earn over 200K per year and never worry about the costs of healthcare & education for the whole "pack of them". And from what they tell me, would never, ever want or use welfare in any form. They feel it's wrong and embarrassing.

SO....Just saying, you have to take a deep long look at your life and your future BEFORE you procreate.

p.s. Yeah, I'm an old hippie and damn proud of it

 

Global Warming ? watch below !