Lately I've been thinking a lot about babies. I'm not sure I want to have any. I'm not sure I don't want to have any. I'm just not sure.
I don't have that intense baby lust women my age are supposed to have. I keep waiting to hear that ubiquitous ticking of the clock. Yet the impulse to pre-select names for my unborn progeny eludes me.
Friends have babies and I happily admire their perfect little toes and fingers and inhale that incredibly intoxicating baby smell. And briefly...(briefly mind you) I imagine myself with one. But then I go home, eat Skittles for dinner and run with scissors. There's something to be said for living dangerously.
Am I being selfish? Is it my biological destiny and feminine obligation to procreate? Am I a failure as a woman if I choose not to breed? Would I miss out on something? Would my life be lacking if I was childless?
As with any problematic situation I weigh the pros and cons. PRO: babies are cute and cuddly. CON: these cute and cuddly creatures cry all the time and sleep erratically. PRO: peekaboo, play dates, recitals, and soccer games. CON: peekaboo, play dates, recitals, and soccer games. PRO: raising an intelligent, assertive person. CON: having that same person make you park two blocks away because they're too embarrassed to be seen with you.
Then of course there's the concern that I might birth a demon child. You know the ones...those
Accompanying these
So...when people ask me: "When are you going to have kids?" I guess I'd have to say I really don't know. My biological clock must be on permanent snooze.
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Yep...lots of pros and cons. I didn't have my first baby until I was 33. I miss a lot of things...like Skittles for dinner. Wanna know what else you'll miss after kids? I wrote about in on my blog! The post title is Do You Remember When. But kids are really amazing! But sometimes hubby and I still think of how good we had it before them :)
ReplyDeleteOH GOOD GOD! Don't feel selfish. Don't feel like less of a woman. Having a baby is easy--any idiot with a uterus can do it. Being a mother, on the other hand, is a lifelong commitment that cannot and must not be entered into lightly. Whenever a woman looks at me, a mom of two, and admits that she doesn't want kids, I NEVER EVER say "oh, kids are so wonderful, you'll change your mind!" I always announce that knowing what you DON'T want is just as important and valid as knowing what you DO.
ReplyDeleteSo my advice is to ignore anyone else's opinion and do what YOU feel is right. If it's kids, you'll be a better parent for it. If it's not, you'll be a better human for it.