Too Bad We All Hate Kids . . . Maybe It’s Just Me

Oh, yeah, well, hate is a strong word . . . but gently dislike doesn’t make the cut.Everybody who knows me probably also knows how the mere thought of pregnancy disjusts me. And how I think that the defining characteristic of children is how much they ooze. From orifices I didn’t even know could ooze! I mean, I babytalk to my friends’ kids, but the thought of waking up every hour to a screeching, feral monster does not appeal to me. However, after reading this, I briefly thought that maybe I’d judged too harshly . . . after all, they don’t ooze forever.

Then I remembered that after the oozing, comes the annoying voices and equally annoying little friends. And then they get a little older and make you cry a lot. I may as well pack up my husband and cats, move to Seattle, and get a few dogs . . . looks like that’s where I can live out my days until all balance is lost.

What do you guys think? What worries me is the potential for a serious loss of balance, although I’m not sure I buy the author’s notion that all of the conservative’s children will remain conservative. Just like not all the liberal’s children grow up liberal . . . (I’m really not aiming for a politically charged debate, as I know not all of us are liberal. I still think this is interesting).

4 Responses to “Too Bad We All Hate Kids . . . Maybe It’s Just Me”

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I’ve seen concerns for this trend expressed in many places– The idea that the educated/liberals/etc don’t produce as many kids as the uneducated/conservatives/etc and it’s a forecast of doom and gloom ahead.

I don’t really agree. It’s a very complex issue, for one. There are enough amazingly intelligent people (and rabidly liberal people) who came from uneducated (or staunchly conservative) backgrounds that I’m not sure how well the “they’ll be like their parents” assumption is born out.

On the other hand, if you asked me if America is becoming more conservative, I’d say “Yes, of course.” Is this why? Maybe partially. We don’t have Asimov’s psycho-history to guide us, so predicting and understanding why societies change is still a science in its infancy.

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On the other side: Yeah, kids are gross, though they grow out of that. What scares ME about children is the time commitment. I don’t feel like I have enough free time as it is for just me, let alone a high maintainance pet like a dog (heck, I get sad that I don’t have enough time for Teisha!). I, in all earnestness, cannot imagine having time for a child while working a full-time job. The day isn’t long enough. Maybe that will change later on, or something…. but right now? Boggles my mind.

Paradoxdruid - May 16th, 2006 at 5:18 pm

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I also think society is becoming more conservative. But, then, we really do live in a liberal world, don’t we? The liberals have won a lot of battles in the last forty years, it makes sense to me that there is now a backlash and an attempt to be more moderate and/or conservative . . . that said, I also think that as decades pass, society becomes more liberal, or at least the definitions change. What I mean is that what a conservative believes today is NOT the same as what a conservative believed fifty or a hundred years ago.

Kids are damned time consuming . . . the sleep deprivation of the newest parents I know is a testimony to that! However, I think dogs are still easier. True, somebody has to watch them when you go on vacation, but at least going to the movies isn’t a fiasco that has to be planned for . . . and the grossest dogs that I’ve met are still less gross than babies and toddlers . . . but, then, I have a low tolerance for things that look gross, smell bad, or make a lot of loud noises . . .

ShortSpeedFreak - May 17th, 2006 at 1:07 pm

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…cue the cheap shot:

Shortspeedfreak said “I have a low tolerance for things that look gross, smell bad, or make a lot of loud noises . . .”

But I thought you liked your husband?

Hehe… That’s right folks, I’ll be here all night.

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I agree with you- though there are waves of conservatism and liberalism, it does seem like a Marxian progression is happening, with society slowly becoming more liberal and egalitarian, even in the conservative phases. Yay!

Paradoxdruid - May 17th, 2006 at 2:04 pm

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I’m a big fan of, if not out-breeding, then at least trying to keep something close to pace with the overly fertile stupid half of the population.
On the other hand, he does point out that our birthrate is at replacement level. So all of our population growth will come from outside the US, where the sentiments are generally more liberal and expectations of government are more in line with the Democratic side of things.

And if all else fails, we’ll just have to drag the conservatives off to re-education camps!

Owen - May 19th, 2006 at 11:44 am

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