A few weeks ago I was talking with some colleagues at work. Somehow the topic of children came up and each of us put in our two cents about what we thought of child bearing and child rearing. Someone mentioned that they didn't want to have any kids because the world was already overpopulated. Huh?! I thought the response was a little weird, but I shrugged it off and quickly forgot about it.
Today, I was in conversation with somebody else who touted the same reason for their lack of desire to have children. Am I missing something here? Was I not forwarded the Memo? Since when did this become the reason du jour to NOT want to have kids. I really have zero interest in whether or not one chooses to have children, but this reasoning seems a bit goofy. I cannot, in all good faith, believe that people out there are so environmentally friendly that they would hold off on having children just to save the planet. Listen, IF YOU DON'T WANT KIDS, JUST SAY SO! No one will persecute you. No one will shun you. Why do people make up such ridiculous excuses?
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You would not believe the number of people who DO shun others who do not want children. I've been accused of being all of the following: selfish, unnatural, misanthropic, and cold-hearted. All because I don't want kids. Or how about: If you never have children, you will always remain immature and a child. (Verbatim.) Given some reactions I've gotten, I can see why people might not want to "own up" to their feelings.
But I also have met people who do see overpopulation as an environmental issue - which it is - and want to make sure they don't contribute to the problem. One guy I know even had a vasectomy. (I guess he didn't like condoms! No, I didn't ask.) If someone isn't really bothered either way about having kids - and given how some folks approach parenthood you can believe this label applies to plenty who already have them - I think it's perfectly reasonable.
that picture looks so much like the mommy and baby group that sarah and i belonged to when she was an infant that i had to look twice at it!
that aside, be whoever you want to be, have kids if you feel you want to or can, get married if you want to, do whatever you want to do.
but for heaven's sake, enjoy your life. get to the end of it and know you made the right decisions. so do whatever it takes to be able to smile at life's end. that's all.
#@#!* Get your facts straight, Hasselbeck...I mean Kimberly...the reasoning is not because we don't want to but for the sake of, not only the planet, but...the child...and I sincerely hope that I will not be able to say "I told you so" in 30 years. I really do no understand the angry response that I often get to an unselfish desicion - why is it so important to other people?...i think it is because they feel guilty for not having put much thought into such an important desicion.
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