Do you want to have children?

[nickg1532]

i would like kids eventually. i'm 23 now and could see it happening in five or six years, though i wouldn't really want any before that. (the wife would probably be ready in the next year or two, but i would like a few years to work my way out of insolvency--thanks, law school). i would not want any more than two

[microbet]

I like having kids and think being old and having kids and grandkids will be much better than not. However, having kids is a lot of work and if you don't think you'll really like it a lot, then it probably won't be worth it. I always liked kids a lot and knew I wanted to have them.

There are too many people in the world anyway, so if you don't ever have kids - thank you.

[dylan's alias]

My wife and I just had our second child on Thursday. We both knew that we wanted kids and are very happy with our choice.

As for the "I don't like babies" crowd, I was completely with you. I thought I would like being a dad for older kids but I never had any interest in other people's babies. I still don't. Except for my own, babies are cute for a minute, then it passes. I'm still surprised at how much I liked being a dad for a newborn, and it just keeps getting better (my oldest is 2 years old).

My life is so completely different that it is almost unrecognizable, but I wouldn't want to go back. If you never have kids, then you really won't know what you are missing. I don't mean that in a negative way. You just won't know, because there is no other experience that can compare to or can prepare you for being a parent.

The benefits of having kids are pretty limited if you want to tally them up. You can come up with many better reasons not to have them. My parents have some friends that don't have kids and as they get older, they are starting to feel like something is missing. Watching your friends kids grow up, graduate, get married and have grandkids seems like it can become a lonely proposition.

[Kimbell175113]

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If you never have kids, then you really won't know what you are missing. I don't mean that in a negative way. You just won't know, because there is no other experience that can compare to or can prepare you for being a parent.


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Yeah, but you'll never know what it would have been like had you not had kids. I'm just saying, both sides make choices and will never fully understand the other.

I do have that desire to have children. Can't explain it, but there it is, and I'll have a few someday. But I never want to convince others who don't feel that way that they are wrong or that they just have to do it anyway and their minds will change. That seems really weird to me.

[Henry17]

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I do have that desire to have children. Can't explain it, but there it is, and I'll have a few someday. But I never want to convince others who don't feel that way that they are wrong or that they just have to do it anyway and their minds will change. That seems really weird to me.

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I don't want children but I agree that it should be a personal choice. I was surprised to find that there is actually a pretty militant anti-having children movement.

[BPA234]

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I've always known that I wanted to have kids even when I was 18 or 20 or whatever. But the timing was never right.
Now I'm 37 and my feelings are pretty much the same. Want them mostly as much as I did 15-20 years ago but it still feels weirdly like I'm not ready or I'm too young or something.

GF and I will continue traveling around for a year or two and will probably have a kid after that. I'll probably be 40 and she'll be 33.
I already feel weird about being a first-time Dad at 40 and I guess my greatest concern is whether I'll have the energy for it.
I like my sleep and get cranky when I don't get enough of it.

Chances are that it might end up being just a little bit easier though as we'll probably be living near by parents and her parents will also likely be moving to the area so I think we might end up wrestling with 4 different doting grandparents just to get any amount of time with the little bugger.

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I think that an older parent can bring a lot of positives to raising a child. What you lack in energy, you will make up for in maturity, experience and stability.

Definitely in your hands to be a good parent.

[Belok]

Plus, if you dont have children, who will be morally obligated to love you and put up with all of your mind-numbingly boring stories, geezer farts, and all around crazy-person attitude once you're 75+?

Dont deny it, you're going to be just as ridiculous when you're old. Everybody is.

[CharlieDontSurf]

I've always wanted to have a daughter would probably be great till she becomes a teenager then ill want to kill myself

[chucksim]

I feel about the same as OP. I like kids, but I don't know if I'm ready for the responsibility full time. I also don't fell like I have the "instinct".

That said, I'm sure it turns when you have one. I've seen it happen with friends.

For myself (an only child), I've decided I either want zero or two after knowing what it's like to care for an aging parent alone after the other has died. I don't want to burden one person with my "old man BS".

At this point, if my woman wants kids and we have one, there will be two. However, if I wind up with someone who is more career driven or otherwise doesn't want/can't have them, it won't kill me.

[ZOMG_RIGGED!]

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(I secretly like the Disney movies)

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best reason to have a kid imo