To every Parent on the forum............ (choice, church, LDS, marriage)

[Scuba Pete]

I wanted a little girl just like my wife.
She wanted a son just like me.

What on earth were we thinking???

Bwahahaha!

[michel]

Originally Posted by QTpi

I don't understand how, if you want children, you can not want children for the sake of their own lives.

Unfortunately that sounds obvious. The trouble is, life isn't so simple; different cultures encourage having many children as a way of 'upping' the family income; I know a girl who was born out of a wish for her to be beholden unto her parents for the rest of her life........

If I examine my motives, though, the reason I wanted children was to give a child all I thought was wisdom I had accumulated, and ensure I didn't make the same errors as my own parents; which, when you think about it, is full of 'Ego'.

[QTpi]

Originally Posted by michel

Unfortunately that sounds obvious. The trouble is, life isn't so simple; different cultures encourage having many children as a way of 'upping' the family income; I know a girl who was born out of a wish for her to be beholden unto her parents for the rest of her life........

What an awful thing to do to that poor girl! I can't imagine doing that to a child! You're right. I hadn't thought about other cultures.

Originally Posted by michel

If I examine my motives, though, the reason I wanted children was to give a child all I thought was wisdom I had accumulated, and ensure I didn't make the same errors as my own parents; which, when you think about it, is full of 'Ego'.

It's not ego, Michel. It's wanting the best for your children, and having the knowledge and confidence needed to be a good parent, which you obviously are.

[Green Gaia]

Originally Posted by michel

Why (if you have Children), did you have them ? Was it a conscious choice between you to say "O.K, we are going to try for three, four children" ?

If you did plan on having Children, what was the motivation? (ie because you really wanted to raise children, and to love them, or maybe you wanted to see them attain goals you had never reached?)

Well, neither of my two were planned, but I am very glad I have them, they are everything to me. Before I had kids I'd always said I didn't want to have any after being the oldest of 6 kids and seeing what a headache they could be. What I didn't realize is what a joy they are as well until I had my own.