To people who like or have children:

[Xxmasquerade_massacrexX]

oh, yes. add that to my selfish list of reasons to have children!

[Cicero]

I'm not overly keen on kids, but lately I've found them a lot more interesting than I used to. Children in their later years just before becoming teenagers are surprisingly in tune with things, at least the intelligent ones are. It's like their brains have reached a point teetering right on adulthood but haven't been fucked around by adolescence yet. Their imagination is still intact, and they have a view of the world that I often envy.

I don't want children of my own any time soon, but I do feel I sort of owe it to the future of humanity to keep my DNA in the gene pool. Plus it'd be cool watching someone grow up who is essentially 50% me, as I already find it pretty awesome seeing how similar I am to my own parents. Reproduction is the closest thing we have to immortality.

[Still Jack]

It's not just the fact I don't like kids, I think I'd make a horrible father. I just can't put up with the incessant squealing/shitting/vomiting/shouting/whatever. Which is strange since I put up with that shit every weekend. I just can't deal with it coming from kids...

[Cicero]

Hahaha, see I can handle it from children or dogs (or any animal really, bar humans). Never ever from adults. I've cleaned up adult urine once and never plan on doing it again...

[Anarasha]

What really makes me wonder is not how people can like kids. It's how a woman out of free will decides to suffer from uncontrollable mood swings and hormones, only to endure hours upon hours of pain if they are unlucky, and then to suffer another 18 years until you can finally throw out the broken condom.
And some people do it more than once.

[Mir]

I wonder if that's how your mom feels about you.

[Anarasha]

That is an excellent question.
Random fact about Anarasha: I dislike children.

[HumanePain]

Originally Posted by Cicero

I don't want children of my own any time soon, but I do feel I sort of owe it to the future of humanity to keep my DNA in the gene pool.

Thank you! The world needs more Ciceros.

[Corpsey]

I intend to sire a few lads and gals when I am old enough to support them and mature enough to be a sound father. I really really want to teach them about life and ask them various questions and learn their opinion about something. For me it would all be worth it to see their curious gaze and open eyes at seeing everything new. If I do ever have children, I will be teaching them from the moment they've learnt to react.

Plus, I think my Dad wants to play motorbike tag again.

[Apathy's_Child]

Kids are fun - in my experience, most people who claim to hate them don't actually have contact with any in their own everyday lives, and only really notice the ones who scream their heads off and have loud, anoying tantrums on the street.

Personally, I love kids. They're usually receptive to new ideas and tend to be a lot more creatively-minded than adults, and I find their lack of self-consciousness very appealing. I also find them interesting for the very things a lot of people dislike about them - their lack of real empathy for others and transparent scheming. You can often see exactly how their minds work, and the results are often hilarious.

[JCC]

Kids are as good as the environment around them.

[Anarasha]

Originally Posted by Corpsey

I intend to sire a few lads and gals when I am old enough to support them and mature enough to be a sound father. I really really want to teach them about life and ask them various questions and learn their opinion about something. For me it would all be worth it to see their curious gaze and open eyes at seeing everything new. If I do ever have children, I will be teaching them from the moment they've learnt to react.

Plus, I think my Dad wants to play motorbike tag again.

That is in fact a lot like how I feel.
I may make stupid jokes about hating children and never wanting children, but it is in fact just a recognition of my own lacking maturity in the case of how to raise children sensibly. I would't dare try anytime soon, I don't think I am gonna mature enough the next couple of years.
Then again, I am 19, so I have time.
Of course, if it happened by accident somehow I would of course take responsibility and be there. I would never actually abandon a child.

[Alan]

Kids never stop asking why.

[Still Jack]

Originally Posted by Alan

Kids never stop asking why.

Only if they're intelligent.

Also, I don't think JCC is right on with his opinion. Some kids are right bastards even though they come from environments of which I would have been envious to grow up in.

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by Alan

Kids never stop asking why.

I love that about them! Answering kids' questions is one of my favourite things to do. It can range from being really challenging to downright hilarious.

[honeythorn]

Originally Posted by Solumina

There is good reason for that, your brain chemicals change over time and later make you much more likely to want to have a baby and it isn't exactly easy to reverse female sterilization (surgery with about a week or two of recovery before you can go back to work if you are just in an office if everything goes perfectly) but it is plenty easy to use birth control and avoid babies that way.

I'd be more than happy to sign a document of some sort, excluding me from such a reversal if I were stupid enough to want one. Besides, there are already far too many children stuck in the adoption system ( which, by not having any children myself, I would avoid adding to ) who need a home so if I did get some unlikely and horrific urge later on in life, I could see about adopting an older child who is less likely to piss me off to breaking point.

[JCC]

Originally Posted by honeythorn

I'd be more than happy to sign a document of some sort, excluding me from such a reversal if I were stupid enough to want one. Besides, there are already far too many children stuck in the adoption system ( which, by not having any children myself, I would avoid adding to ) who need a home so if I did get some unlikely and horrific urge later on in life, I could see about adopting an older child who is less likely to piss me off to breaking point.

Why would you want sterility? You have contraception, you have abortion: why bother?

[honeythorn]

If I can avoid having to give myself bits of hormones in pills, injections, implants, patches ect, or make myself uncomfotable with the coil ( discomfort is often noted during sex apparantly so I;d rather not find out and have to have the bloody thing removed) ) by simply having my tubes snipped/tied/whatever in one operation then I will. Saves time, repeated visits to the chemist for pescriptions, and is rather less likely to fail as pills and so on can do.

I dislike the idea of abortion unless the child won't have a good quality of life ( as in it's badly disabled or brain damaged in someway ) , and I have no wishto further burden the adoptive system by slugging out another unwanted child ( VERY unwanted ) . I don't think a child should be born unwanted. It's a horrible thought and being able to pretty much permanently avoid that is more desirable for me.

[SweetJane]

Uh... condoms? Spermacide? Female condoms? Oral sex? An easily reversed vasectomy for your partner? Morning after pill?

[Saya]

If I was sure I didn't want kids ever I wouldn't mind becoming sterile, rather than risk getting pregnant and having an abortion (which sucks money out of the health care system for one, although I'm glad I could get it for free if I wanted to), and fucking around with birth control pills (which gives me a few side effects I don't particularly enjoy). It would just be easier I think to take a week off of work, get surgery I pay for and never have to worry about it again.

I'm like honeythorn, don't see myself ever wanting my own and attempt to get pregnant but if I ever do want one, I'll adopt.

[honeythorn]

Originally Posted by SweetJane

Uh... condoms? Spermacide? Female condoms? Oral sex? An easily reversed vasectomy for your partner? Morning after pill?

Or just get your tubes cut because you don't want children AT ALL at any stage of your life? I am absolutely determined not to have children, and yes, I obviously will use the usual contraceptives since at the moment I have no option. But as soon as I can land a permanent ( as in non agency ) job I'm going to be cramming my other bank account to pay to be sterilised. It'll cost a bomb but in my opinion is worth the cost and whatever physical pain afterwards to permanently avoid being afflicted with a child.

My opinion of children/babies now is no different to my opinion of them when I was a child myself ( I detested babies as a small child, whereas most small girls I have seen and am in some cases unfortunately related to, love them ) and I do not expect it to be changing as I age further. My brothers know better than to ask me to babysit and I have never had to do it thankfully. My friends do not expect me to coo over their children when they have them, or say they are cute, or "hold the baby" fuck no.

[Duane]

I'm too immature to be a good father.

[Pineapple_Juice]

I think I'm too selfish. I like to do stuff I want to do and buy stuff I want to buy that I like, as opposed to diapers and school and braces and other peoples' college educations and that sort of shit.

[Apathy's_Child]

Originally Posted by Pineapple_Juice

I think I'm too selfish. I like to do stuff I want to do and buy stuff I want to buy that I like, as opposed to diapers and school and braces and other peoples' college educations and that sort of shit.

That's what nieces and nephews are for. Add in ego-boost, because unless you're too lame to live they're guaranteed to prefer you to their own parents.

[JCC]

Originally Posted by Apathy's_Child

That's what nieces and nephews are for. Add in ego-boost, because unless you're too lame to live they're guaranteed to prefer you to their own parents.

This bodes well for my nephew, I'm trying to steer him clear of my sister's reactionary influence and make him into a total fucking badass.