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Hi Samantha,

I have always loved kids. I really am a five year-old trapped in a man’s body. I have always wanted to be a father. It is not something that is solely based upon logic or reason or upon faith. Some of it comes from with my gut, the desire to propagate and pass on my thoughts and values and hope that my children help to make the world a better place.

Children require tremendous amounts of energy. There are many sacrifices both emotional and financial and a ton of rewards that come with being a parent. Words don’t adequately express the joy/horror/fear that being a parent can bring. For me the joy is overwhelming. I am happier far more often than I am unhappy.

I don’t think that everyone should be a parent or that there is anything wrong with choosing not to be. If I didn’t have any children I could guarantee an early retirement, travel more often and have freedom to do so many other things.

But as I mentioned I don’t mind waiting to do those things.

If I remember correctly your profile says that you are 24. You are still really young. Take a little time to enjoy life without children and to experience things because with kids things change. I happen to think that life is better but there are moments in which you want to scream.

Don’t know if that makes any sense but it is a starting point.

Hi Barbara,

I hear you loud and clear.

This isn’t really a comment on this entry, this is more like, “Hey, thanks for commenting on my post about children, because, uh, you were the only one.” Would you mind coming back and perhaps make a list of the things that you enjoy about being a parent versus the things that are too hard unless you really want to do it?

Also, I would love to know how you decided to have kids. Because even though I now more open to the idea, I still can’t envision an afternoon where my husband and I sit down and say, “Hey, let’s have a baby. It’s like a cat, except harder to clean up after and requires more vet–er–doctor appointments. And ya know, the whole lifelong responsibility thingie.”

Unless, of course, your child(ren) were unplanned, which I’m finding out is what usually happens. So far, I only know of one family who planned to have children. They went out of their way to adopt because they couldn’t conceive. So I could understand their desires a little more. But just normal, healthy, run-of-the-mill fertile blogger geeks… how do *they* decide?