Spawn

I have read with interest recent thoughtful blog entries by Judy and Ramblinmatt on the subject of procreation. To breed or not to breed seems to be the question. When I was a kid I don’t think I comprehended that having children was optional. It seemed like all the adults I knew had kids and of course all the kids I knew had parents. Looking back I realize that there were some adults I knew that didn’t have children but somehow that didn’t enter my consciousness. It seems very natural to have children. We’re just animals like any other and the instinct to reproduce is about as strong as any we have. On the other hand maybe we’re not just like other animals. We live in an arguably more complex world and we have choices about how we live our lives. I humbly submit that we also have a greater capacity to reflect on our choices than say, an amoeba.

I used to eat meat. Now I choose not to. I don’t consider vegetarianism to more or less natural than omnivorism. It’s just a choice I make based on my own desires and beliefs. Maybe choices about having a family are similar. It would seem to be the natural thing to do but the fact is many people don’t want children and it seems crazy to suggest they should have them anyway just because it fits within some perception of the natural order of things.

So if it’s not about what’s natural then the question is about what you WANT. I know several people who’ve had kids recently and seem very happy about being parents. I know other people who have not yet had kids but clearly want to. I have to admit I don’t really understand that feeling. When I see my sister with her daughters or my other friends with their children I appreciate the kids and how the parents’ lives seem to have been enriched but I don’t think to myself, “Gee, I wish I had on of those.” In fact, I’m a little surprised that anyone would choose parenthood.

To put it another way, I don’t want kids, at least not at this point in my life. I guess it’s an area where each person should just follow his or her heart so I might not feel this way forever, but its kind of a moot point since I’m missing a key part of the whole baby-making operation. No matter how much I love my surfboard, I can’t impregnate it.
In closing I say yeah for parents! Yeah for babies! Yeah for pets!