Parenthood is it worth it?

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  • MagicalLeopleurodon
    MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
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    There isnt a single parent that would tell you it was a mistake to have kids-thats too taboo.

    Personally? I hate the buggers and only want yo deal with the kids in my life i can give back when i want to duct tape their stupid little mouths shut.

    Ahem. Im too self centered to be held responsible for a tiny person.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    I'll never have children because I don't want to give up the life of a non-parent. I decided this when I was a teen and have stuck to it.

    SAME! I have 3 dogs and that's good enough.
    this is an ignorant statement.......animals are just as much responsibility.......seriously.......please reevaluate yourself.

    Seriously? Aside from the fact that this is an extreme over reaction to a benign statement- animals are NOT just as much responsibility as bringing human beings into this world, and raising them to be productive members of society.

    Not hating on animals. I love my lapdog, who is definitely a member of the family, but in no way does the responsibility I have for her, in any way stack up to my 3 children and 1 grandchild that are part of the future of the human race.

    My dog will not become a CEO or a serial killer, depending on how I raise her.
    She will not reproduce.
    If I am lucky and care for her properly, I may have the privilege of having her around for another 7-8 years, then she will be gone. I will be heartbroken when that day comes, but nothing compared to the loss of one of my children at that time.
  • Still1Workoutatatime
    Still1Workoutatatime Posts: 250 Member
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    yes, so rewarding
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
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    COMPLETELY WORTH IT

    My husband says life is like a ride at the amusement park. You can get on the merri-go-round, or get on the roller coaster. The merri-go -round can get boring but our life with our 4 kids on the roller coaster is very exciting and you never know what you're going to get next. :laugh:


    As for animals, heh, how anyone can compare them to children is beyond me! Only someone without a child could make the comparison. You can love a dog but you never have the responsibility with them you do real children.

    Side note:
    It sure helps if the mom can stay home with the kids and there is enough money. Life can be had for a lot less money if you are creative!
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
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    There isnt a single parent that would tell you it was a mistake to have kids-thats too taboo.

    Personally? I hate the buggers and only want yo deal with the kids in my life i can give back when i want to duct tape their stupid little mouths shut.

    Ahem. Im too self centered to be held responsible for a tiny person.

    The intelligence to know that? ^ Priceless!
  • mteague277
    mteague277 Posts: 145 Member
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    The only thing I miss is spontaneity, the ability to see movies, and sleeping in. I was not at all a planner and now I have to plan everything.

    I was meant to be a mom though. It all made sense when I held my little baby in my arms.

    I have been so incredibly maternal my entire life, even as a kid. It has all come very natural to me, beyond the maternal instinct.

    There is a certain level of maturity and selflessness that I don't think you can obtain until you've experienced parenthood; not to say anyone who isn't a parent is immature and selfish, I don't think that at all. It is just different and no amount of empathy can make you truly understand it until you have experienced it.

    Yes, there will be days you just want to rip your hair out (today was that day for me, my baby girl is getting her molars). But even in those stressful moments I look at my child and I am simply amazed. True, unconditional love. It's the best!
  • JoelleAnn78
    JoelleAnn78 Posts: 1,492 Member
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    As a father of four sons (24, 23, 22, 13), I could write for days on this. Let me sum it all up with one quick story.

    December 19, 2001. Around three months after 9/11. My sons were 11, 10, 9 and 2. My wife and I took them to the site of the World Trade Center (and a few days later, the Pentagon), because we felt like there were many lessons to be learned there. We stood outside an ancient church just two blocks from ground zero. On the sidewalk outside the church was an informal, impromptu memorial with blankets, pictures of dead and missing family members, prayer candles, and scrawled words of inspiration and hope. In the center was a broad brimmed hat filled with change, ones, fives, tens and twenties. Now, keep in mind this was New York City. No one was watching the money. No one took the money. My boys asked me why the money was on the ground in the hat. I explained that people donated the money to help the families whose mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, and sons and daughters, died in the 9/11 attack.

    My son, Ben, is a Legomaniac. He always has been. When he heard that New York City had a Lego store, he asked for extra chores in the months before our trip so that he could buy something at the store with his own money. After weeks of picking up leaves, taking out trash, cleaning out cars, and such, he had enough to buy himself something at the Lego store.

    Without asking our permission, or telling us what he was going to do, Ben dug into his jeans pocket, took out his precious little wad of bills, and laid it in the hat. He stood there staring at the hat for the longest time. My wife and I looked at each other with tears streaming down our faces. In that moment, Ben gave us proof that the values and empathy we worked to instill in our sons had taken hold.

    Was it worth spending the past quarter century taking care of four souls and putting their needs and wants before ours? Yeah. It was worth it. And thensome.

    Nicely done. I can only hope to be half the parent you clearly are to have raised such ancredible child :heart:
  • sassypants0923
    sassypants0923 Posts: 7,188 Member
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    All up until they're teenagers! Then LOOK OUT! haha, still worth it, but wow.
  • fannyfrost
    fannyfrost Posts: 756 Member
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    The only thing I miss is spontaneity, the ability to see movies, and sleeping in. I was not at all a planner and now I have to plan everything.

    I was meant to be a mom though. It all made sense when I held my little baby in my arms.

    I have been so incredibly maternal my entire life, even as a kid. It has all come very natural to me, beyond the maternal instinct.

    There is a certain level of maturity and selflessness that I don't think you can obtain until you've experienced parenthood; not to say anyone who isn't a parent is immature and selfish, I don't think that at all. It is just different and no amount of empathy can make you truly understand it until you have experienced it.

    Yes, there will be days you just want to rip your hair out (today was that day for me, my baby girl is getting her molars). But even in those stressful moments I look at my child and I am simply amazed. True, unconditional love. It's the best!

    You will get back the spontaneity when they grow up. Most people miss having the kids tug at them. I don't so much, I like having my life back. My daughter is 19 and now she is the person I like to do stuff with, we see movies together, etc. but I get my own time back, its nice
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    We had a completely planned pregnancy, but I *hated* it, and I *hated* my daughter when she was born and about a year afterwards. There are still fleeting moments when I regret having her (she's almost 3). BUT - I had severe antenatal and post-partum depression, and it was made worse by people telling me "oh, you'll love her as soon as she's born and you look into her eyes" - because I didn't love her then.

    Once I started on meds (at a year), it changed. For the most part, I wouldn't give her up for the world, but sometimes the depression triggers and I get those fleeting moments. I just remember her smiles and hugs, and it gets me through the worst parts.

    long story short: even if you don't love your baby at first sight - it will come although it may take a long time...

    this is a good point many people suffer severe postpartum depression.
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
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    IHavePuppiesInsteadOfChildren.jpg
  • DMZ_1
    DMZ_1 Posts: 2,889 Member
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    If looked at just on pure economics, the answer for most people is probably no. In non agrarian settings, children are a liability producing financial costs, not an economic asset for farm labor. This article says 18 years of child raising costs $241,000, not including college (http://money.cnn.com/2013/08/14/pf/cost-children/).
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
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    If looked at just on pure economics, the answer for most people is probably no. In non agrarian settings, children are a liability producing financial costs, not an economic asset for farm labor. This article says 18 years of child raising costs $241,000, not including college (http://money.cnn.com/2013/08/14/pf/cost-children/).

    That's kind of funny in a way, but true.
    My husband referred to our kids as liabilities until they could start "helping out", then they were "assets"... :wink:
  • cupcakes_and_cardio
    cupcakes_and_cardio Posts: 369 Member
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    Do I miss going out/ doing what I want at the drop of a hat? Yes. But...I wouldn't change having my little girl for ANYTHING in this world. Every morning when she wakes up I hear "Mommy, Daddy" - that's the best feeling in the world to hear those words and to know that this little person depends on you so much, it's awesome. I go in to her bedroom and she'll wave at me and say "Hi, Mommy!" in this beautiful angel voice. I love my princess to pieces and would never go back to life before her, actually I can't even imagine life without her. You'll see, when he/she is born, you'll fall instantly in love - just watch! :)
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Cheap entertainment. Also you get to play with toys again and no one looks at you funny.

    and to see all the kids' films at the cinema, sometimes twice*. in 3D

    *croods and despicable me 2 were seen twice. and my 3 yr old is still obsessed with minions. she even wears dungarees with no top sometimes and goes around pretending to be a minion
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    she even wears dungarees with no top sometimes and goes around pretending to be a minion

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:



    Kids are fun....I gots 3.
    They just get old way too quick. :cry:
    I swear, you blink and it is 10 yrs later.
  • SharonAuvilDenham
    SharonAuvilDenham Posts: 5
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    We were married for 10 years before we had our daughter, she will be 18 next month. The answer is UNCONDITIONAL LOVE is what makes it worth it. I would not change anything . Yes, she is a pill as a teenager but what teenager isn't? She has turned out to be a fine young woman who has morals and thinks for herself. We are very proud of the person she has become and love her more than anything. Once you have your child in your arms you will understand what I am saying. Nothing compares to a child's love and nothing compares to seeing the world through a child's eyes.

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