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Children are a joy mostly when they are wanted. So I don't believe people who don't raise kids will miss the job. That said, I don't think anything can teach patience as well as parenthood.
Not everyone should have the same desire or expectation in life. People who don't want kids deserve the exact same respect as those who want them(can we just respect everyone please?). Anyone who grumbles about parents or about non-parents is probably a miserable person who has to grumble about something.
Parenthood has not been easy for me....I have a rebellious teen. A daughter with autism. One child with learning disabilities. But you know, at the end of the day, the good outweighs the bad. I remember life before kids, and it felt empty and kind of pointless. There are only so many self-indulgent things you can do for yourself before it all starts to seem like a repeat. I suppose if you have a great career that brings you a lot of fulfillment, or a highly active social life, maybe those things bring you a great deal of pleasure and a sense of purpose. Me, personally, I would find my life to be empty if I didn't have my children.
I wonder for those who are childless, don't you worry about who will help take care of you when you're old and dying? The thought of being all alone in the world would scare me. I know not all children want to be there for their parents in old age, but it seems once a spouse dies, it goes to your kids to help plan for you if you end up with dementia, etc. I wonder who fills in that role for people who don't have children? I know there are nursing homes, etc, but someone still has to be there to plan for end of life care.
They travel all over the world.
Climb mountains.
Strapped their baby on their back and trekked the Himalayas.
Climbed in and out of the Grand Canyon with their kids.
Run marathons (kids run the smaller races).
Camp seaside or in the desert or in the Mexican forests...with their kids.
Live in Hawaii for part of the year, boating, diving, kayaking, trekking...
Not sure their life isn't interesting...
But this is hardly the norm and something the average American cant relate to.
Let me put it this way: I have 3 kids..."I" am the one on the "missing out" end, because now "I" am the one who can't find work, travel, get a better car, get a different degree, or just have more time to do more interesting/meaningful things than having to say "wash your hands" a thousand times in 3 hours!
Rant over...
If this is how you feel and how your life is set up, why did you have THREE of them?!
You have a responsibility to yourself to manage both children and a fulfilling life. Not
get yourself stuck in a corner.
Why not?
This guy wasn't rich when he did these things.
Neither were my parents.
I'm not saying if he was rich or not, just saying it is not the normal typical American family. Also not saying anything negative about it, I'm sure the kids enjoy it. Do you actually believe this is the norm?
kids are one thing that I don't mind missing out on.
it's already enough that I have to encounter these screaming, misbehaving little bastards in public places while their oblivious parents fight with eachother or mess around on their smartphones. most of these kids will end up being in juvee or on the rock by the time they turn 18 anyway because these naïve, holier-than-thou parents go around telling everybody how much of a "rewarding" experience it is to raise kids when they are just neglecting them in the first place. and they say the childless singles are the selfish ones.... we're the ones footing the bill for your child tax benefits. you're welcome.
how much does it cost to raise a child from 0-18? $200,000? yeah, no thank you. take that $200,000 over 18 years, it is around $11,111 per year, let that grow for 18 years earning 8% interest. how much will you have at the end of 18 years if you didn't have a kid? $443,000. what am I going to miss more? a (fleeting) sense of self worth from raising a child that will most likely end up disappointing me anyway no matter how hard I try to raise them correctly, or early retirement? i'll give you a hint, it's a rhetorical question. i'll be on my way to happy hour to hit on some strange while you're picking up your child from school, daycare, detention, jail, the dentist, wondering how your spouse suddenly gained 100 pounds and how much weed you'll have to sell to pay for your child's braces. but hey, different strokes for different folks, right? i'll contribute in a different way that does not cause overpopulation to our planet. I've got several measures of philanthropy lined up.
I don't like children. What on earth am I missing by not having them?
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we're the ones footing the bill for your child tax benefits. you're welcome.
