I have 3 kids now - twin girls (born in Houston) who are now 2.5 and a boy who is now almost three weeks old - although he is strictly an Aussie! It is the most rewarding thing you will ever do - completely amazing. There is no hiding the fact that your life completely changes, and it is a lot less about YOU
I can't wait to have kids ... I want quadruplets, and in those 4, I want 2 sets of identical twins, 2 boys and 2 girls. That would so seriously rock. My brother and sister have kids, and they're the best. My hats off to ALL the mothers out there. After awhile when the dad gets tired, seems like the mommy has endless energy to tend to the kids, amazing stuff.
No kids, no plans to have kids. I have too much fun living with my wife of 6 years. It's obvious from the responses on this page that hormones are a very powerful thing and really help you enjoy having kids. cson, good job on at least considering the alternatives. Too many people don't even think twice before they add more people to the planet. The thing that freaks me out is that the moment you have a kid, you are no longer the most important person in your mate's life - and it won't even be a contest. Good luck with your choice. If you are married to the right person, you will probably have a lot of fun in life either way - although you'll be a lot richer without the kids!
The kids are great, but the rest of your life sucks. Right now I want to die, but I keep going for my kids. Otherwise, shotgun sandwich. Geez, I hate micromanagement. Geez, I hate my mortgage. Someone find a way to do one without the other. There's an amazing amount of love left over even after a whole day of seething, self-destructive hate. I love my kids.
Never ever pamper your kids too much. By doing that, you are being irresponsible to your kids, and may ruin their future lives. That's my take.
Some excellent post in this thread. I've got a boy, he will be 3 in August. My boy is the greatest thing in the world, just amazing how a smile from him can change my whole day. Before he was born I couldn't imagine life with him, now I can't imagine life without him. It was an instant change in my life, everything else becomes secondary. I would sacrifice anything and everything for him. Where is Falcons Talon?
I've got a son who's 12 and a daughter that's 7... both are amazing and doing incredibly well in school. Needless to say, it's hard to imagine life without them. Having said that, my wife and I weren't going to have children and didn't for a LONG time after we started living together and then got married. We were having a blast living life and having nothing more than a dog (who could stay with a friend/relative) to keep us from traveling, doing spontaneous things... you know, having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have. We miss that freedom, but have no regrets except for one. I wish we'd had them when I was younger. When I think of how old we'll be when they're in college it's scary! (+plus, we've added to the gene pool 2 kids programmed to be liberal, open-minded Democrats. It's in the blood, man! )
woo-hoo! Like Linus, me and Mrs. B-Bob have decided it ain't for us for now, but I'm lovin' the stories here. Now, I don't want to start a big fuss, but it seems like the right place to mention it. Part of our thinking actually included the facts of global population. We thought, since we're on the fence anyway, that's one aspect to consider. We might adopt at some point, but I do think it's good if: a few people just don't procreate (especially some people, j/k), and then overall, if people eventually aim at just replacing themselves (2 kids). Could just be my inner misanthrope though.
Great story, Behad. Let me add my own here. They are the worst team in the church children's basketball league. They have only won one game. This is the last game of the season, facing the best team. They have been down by 10 after the first Q. You know it's going to be another blowout. But you keep trying to encourage your son to play hard no matter what. They slowly climb back to the game. with 30 sec. left in the game, your star player makes a basket to get them a 1 point lead. After the other team calling a timeout, they inbound to their shooter and he gets fouled. You say to yourself, "NO!" Sure enough, the guy makes both free throws with 14 sec. left. You scream, "Timeout!" What is the coach doing? Timeout! But the point guard is too busy dribbling up court. And he heaves a shot from the elbow. Miss. Your big center gets the offensive rebound. He puts it up. Bounces off the rim again. And your son comes from nowhere to grab the ball. He throws it up. The buzzer goes off. The ball goes in. Screaming and jumping, you run onto the floor. You hug your boy as hard as you can. With tears in eyes of both, you and your son enjoy a true father-son moment that cannot be described in words.
But what happens when the big, fat, probably-old-enough-to-play-in-the-next-level kid blocks your son's last second shot? When is it exactly that you attack other parents at youth sporting events? By the way, I'm just farting around again. Nice story, Easy.
Great story, Easy (and Behad!). Here's one from me. My daughter's coach-pitch softball team was behind 19 to 10 going into the bottom of the last inning, playing the best team in the league at the season-ending tournament. My little 7 year old sweetie, who's the smallest girl on what is the youngest team, gets an infield hit (she can't hit it out of the infield yet ) with 2 outs and no one on. This starts a rally... they bat around and win 20-19. You really can't put a price-tag on moments like that. You can't quantify them. I was hoarse for a week from yelling my lungs out. B-Bob, all we care about is that the kids have fun and maybe learn something. Some of the parents, and some of the coaches, are so anal about wanting to win that you want to punch their lights out. Restraint can be difficult!
Wife and I have a daughter who just turned 3 last week. Think of the big picture: I became a daddy when I was 31. She will be my daughter for the rest of my life (hopefully) - that's gonna be for the next 50 years (approximately). If I could choose between having those 50 years as just me and my wife, or us with kids, I would definitely choose the kids without hesitation. In all honesty, when we first had our daughter, it really sucked to sacrifice all the freedoms. And, occasionally, I get a bit depressed that my untethered life is gone. But looking at the big picture it is unquestionably worth the sacrifice and effort. But do the world a favor: if you're too selfish, and aren't gonna be a good parent, don't have kids!. I'm sick of seeing parents who treat their kids poorly, without discipline, or with inconsideracy for the kids' well-being. -- droxford
