Tuesday, February 19, 2008

To have kids or not to have kids...that is the question.

I have recently been bombarded with, it seems, the plight of harried friends struggling with strong willed teenagers. Enough so, that it makes me wonder if having kids is really worth it. I can understand the allure, don't get me wrong. I love kids....it's when they grow up that scares me. To hear the horror stories of these teenagers turning into these sub-human aliens whose soul purpose in life is to remind their parents daily that they suck!

My good friend recently had to remove her daughter's bedroom door in an effort to stop her from sneaking out. Now the "child" in question can't understand why her mom is being sooooo mean to her. All I can say, is I'm so glad it's not me!

So just when I have made up my mind to avoid the whole "parent trap", a co-worker brings in pictures of his little boy who is all of 1 week old. I can see instantly why people would want children. You see in these babies such a pureness and a hope for all that is best in the world for them. You don't see the bad times to come, but the opportunity to teach them and give them the tools they need to make it in this life. So there may be a few years (hopefully less) of your child acting like an extra from the exorcist; but it will be worth it...right?

3 comments:

Jeff said...

They so aren't worth it.

Anonymous said...

When all is said and done, the good far outweighs the bad. Funny thing is, that while kids go through the rebellion of the teens/early 20's, they restore the bonds with their parents as they age and a wonderful relationship of mutual respect and trust develops. It's a normal process for kids to develop independence and learn to stand on their own. And that means pushing away from the parentals to gain that freedom.

The real issue is that the parents teach the children right from wrong and how to make good decisions in life, including how to gain independence and venture into the world as an adult.

As a wise man once said, there is opposition in all things. You can't understand the good if you don't experience a little bad once in awhile. Without it, there would be no joy or heartache, no exhiliration or despair, and no walking by faith and making a few mistakes along the way.

I apologize for the preachiness.

Libby Lu said...

Do what I did. I made a deal with one of the girls that works for me. She didn't want kids because she doesn't like the little ones. So the deal is that I would give birth and have them till they're about 12 and then they are all hers!!!

;-)