3
0

I've decided not to have kids


 invite response                
2014 Jul 10, 12:10am   62,565 views  249 comments

by Rin   ➕follow (8)   💰tip   ignore  

Ok, it's been said before but I'll say it again.

I see myself as a creative and intelligent person who, if born rich, would be a Renaissance man doing my own research, engaging in numerous activities.

Thus, my goal in life is to become independently wealthy and do the above.

Now, since many of my pals have had children and so forth, I'm absolutely astonished at how lame and boring these kids are. At best, they parrot TV shows and break toys, to the best of their abilities. In contrast, when I was a kid, I was dreaming of writing screenplays, inventing a lightsaber, and so forth.

Yes, my parents squashed my dreams and made me think of engineering, accounting, and so on but at least when I got started, I had bigger dreams.

But now, I've come to accept these facts. Yes, for the most part, children are lame and at best, one can hope that they don't get in trouble with the law or sleep in your basement for life. Those parents, whose kids are the next Alexander Hamilton or Buckminster Fuller, are the fortunate ones.

With that said, I have no incentive nor motivation to have my own. When I'm an old man, I'll be like Frank Lloyd Wright, constantly writing down ideas and working on things of interest without having a lifelong kid/adult sleeping near my study spaces.

Comments 1 - 40 of 249       Last »     Search these comments

1   HydroCabron   2014 Jul 10, 12:21am  

Humans are like bees (or should be).

The most creative people have had really pathetic kids, either stupid or fucked up.

Leave the child-rearing to the vapid drones who listen to Bieber and Spears, or fancy themselves Austrian economists. They're better at it.

2   zzyzzx   2014 Jul 10, 12:23am  

Obligatory:

3   Rin   2014 Jul 10, 12:28am  

HydroCabron says

The most creative people have had really pathetic kids, either stupid or fucked up.

Leave the child-rearing to the vapid drones who listen to Bieber and Spears, or fancy themselves Austrian economists. They're better at it.

I completely agree with this!

When I'm writing my Magnum Opus, in my den in 20 years, I don't want that call from my local PD's office...

'Rin, we picked up your son for stealing Oxycontin. He's in lockdown. Please come down and post bail'

4   Rin   2014 Jul 10, 12:36am  

zzyzzx says

Obligatory:

This one deserves an internet version of a high five!

5   anonymous   2014 Jul 10, 12:45am  

How much time have you spent in the past, contemplating having children, to lead you to this day where you announce your intentions to the patrick.net community?

6   Rin   2014 Jul 10, 12:49am  

errc says

How much time have you spent in the past, contemplating having children

It's more other ppl, contemplating when I'll have kids, and that started in my mid-20s.

Now, I'm in my mid-30s, established, and have zero interest in having kids.

Thus, I'm stuck making up silly excuses like "haven't found the one", yada, yada. Only on PatNet, can I be completely honest for my distaste for that stuff.

7   Strategic Renter   2014 Jul 10, 12:50am  

Family is all that matters. Everything else is just noise.

8   zzyzzx   2014 Jul 10, 12:54am  

Rin says

It's more other ppl, contemplating when I'll have kids, and that started in my mid-20s.

I already knew not to have kids when I was 6.

9   Rin   2014 Jul 10, 12:58am  

zzyzzx says

Rin says

It's more other ppl, contemplating when I'll have kids, and that started in my mid-20s.

I already knew not to have kids when I was 6.

Somewhere between 8 and 10 is when I started having a sense that I wasn't going to have 'em.

10   Rin   2014 Jul 10, 12:59am  

sbh says

Be forthcoming with your mates, however, because the XX chromosomes generally have other plans.

This is the 2nd reason why I'd broken up with a Brazilian, since having kids is particularly important for many Brazilian women.

11   HydroCabron   2014 Jul 10, 1:01am  

sbh says

Be forthcoming with your mates, however, because the XX chromosomes generally have other plans.

Two kinds of women:

1) Say they want kids

2) Say they don't want kids, and want kids anyway

12   bob2356   2014 Jul 10, 1:04am  

this thread is like the question how long does it take for the average women to achieve orgasm. who fucking cares.

13   Rin   2014 Jul 10, 1:25am  

bob2356 says

thread is like the question how long does it take for the average women to achieve orgasm. who fucking cares.

Usually, when one announces that they don't want kids, society and parents tend to jump in and say ... though shalt!

For me, since my sister had a daughter, they'd stopped bothering me but then again, it's probably because the little one is such a monster/entitlement queen, much like her mom.

Now, I need to deal with society, as a whole.

14   mfs.admin   2014 Jul 10, 1:42am  

I am in my 40's and personally don't have children, but for different reasons than stated above. First off, kids need a lot of attention and time to grow up developed and normal and I don't have much personal time to dedicate to this and it would be unfair to a child if I were his parent. Second, I don't like the direction this world is headed in and I would live in fear that my child may be left in a world not prepared well enough. I'm a product of the 70's and it's my belief that my generation represented the end of the cycle of growth our country has enjoyed. Children of my generation are the first to not live as well as our parents and this trend will continue in generations born after this. Society as a whole has become more warped and the values I cherish are dwindling, replaced with a more narcissistic type of self-absorbed citizen who cares only for self and sits on the sidelines when others suffer..

15   mfs.admin   2014 Jul 10, 1:49am  

Rin says

errc says

How much time have you spent in the past, contemplating having children

It's more other ppl, contemplating when I'll have kids, and that started in my mid-20s.

Now, I'm in my mid-30s, established, and have zero interest in having kids.

Thus, I'm stuck making up silly excuses like "haven't found the one", yada, yada. Only on PatNet, can I be completely honest for my distaste for that stuff.

I think there are many men stuck in this box, telling others various excuses about why they don't have kids when they just plain don't want it. It's a shame when society puts pressure on us to be that which we are not....

16   New Renter   2014 Jul 10, 2:11am  

To anyone who wants a small taste of what its like to have children without actually doing so I offer this bit of advice:

Contact your local animal rescue and offer to foster a litter of puppies or kittens.

Some parents will laugh but I can honestly say fostering a litter was good preparation for having kids, far better than carrying around a sack of flour or an egg for a week.

Its a least a 10-12 week commitment, not very long in the grand scheme of things. A good rescue will provide plenty of resources to help; you provide the room and the care. The latter can be controlled by the size of the litter and whether the litter has a mother. I'd highly recommend a litter with a mother to start. If you want a more involved experience ask for a motherless pre-wean. Be warned the feedings come often.

There can be a lot of heartbreak involved (including death!) but without your help the litter would likely have been put down in the shelter anyway. Watching the "kids" get adopted is also hard but you know they are going to good homes. Again a good rescue will give you final say over the process.

Its a lot of work but its rewarding and you will do some real good.

Another option for some is fostering human children but that is a LOT more work.

17   zzyzzx   2014 Jul 10, 2:13am  

Rin says

This is the 2nd reason why I'd broken up with a Brazilian, since having kids is particularly important for many Brazilian women.

That's why you shouldn't date third world country women. Or if you do, only do so after the vasectomy, which you will not disclose.

18   zzyzzx   2014 Jul 10, 2:16am  

HydroCabron says

Two kinds of women:

1) Say they want kids

2) Say they don't want kids, and want kids anyway

That's where a vasectomy really comes in handy!

19   zzyzzx   2014 Jul 10, 2:16am  

mfs.admin says

I am in my 40's and personally don't have children, but for different reasons than stated above. First off, kids need a lot of attention and time to grow up developed and normal and I don't have much personal time to dedicate to this and it would be unfair to a child if I were his parent. Second, I don't like the direction this world is headed in and I would live in fear that my child may be left in a world not prepared well enough. I'm a product of the 70's and it's my belief that my generation represented the end of the cycle of growth our country has enjoyed. Children of my generation are the first to not live as well as our parents and this trend will continue in generations born after this. Society as a whole has become more warped and the values I cherish are dwindling, replaced with a more narcissistic type of self-absorbed citizen who cares only for self and sits on the sidelines when others suffer..

You forgot to mention how annoying kids are.

20   zzyzzx   2014 Jul 10, 2:23am  

Reason enough not to have kids:
http://patrick.net/?p=1245338

21   anonymous   2014 Jul 10, 2:24am  

Rin says

Now, I need to deal with society, as a whole.

Good luck with that

22   NDrLoR   2014 Jul 10, 2:29am  

mfs.admin says

Society as a whole has become more warped and the values I cherish are dwindling, replaced with a more narcissistic type of self-absorbed citizen who cares only for self and sits on the sidelines when others suffer..

Well that sounds like people who don't want to have children and also sounds very European.

23   Dan8267   2014 Jul 10, 2:36am  

Strategic Renter says

Family is all that matters. Everything else is just noise.

That's tribal thinking.

Everything else is all of humanity.

24   mfs.admin   2014 Jul 10, 2:36am  

zzyzzx says

Reason enough not to have kids:

http://patrick.net/?p=1245338

Just checked that link, Amen to that brother!!! I know of many people in this boat and many of them will never retire because of this. Sadly, it always seems to happen to the nicest people...

25   Y   2014 Jul 10, 2:44am  

Heterosexuals.

bob2356 says

this thread is like the question how long does it take for the average women to achieve orgasm. who fucking cares.

26   Y   2014 Jul 10, 2:47am  

This is a wound that is self-inflicted by liberal pussys.
Here's a tip: Grow some nuts for a day and just say "I don't want kids, you fuckin fuck".
Works every time.

mfs.admin says

I think there are many men stuck in this box, telling others various excuses about why they don't have kids when they just plain don't want it.

27   Y   2014 Jul 10, 2:49am  

I didn't know male tittymilk was feline compatible.
Thanks for the education.

New Renter says

If you want a more involved experience ask for a motherless pre-wean. Be warned the feedings come often.

28   Heraclitusstudent   2014 Jul 10, 2:51am  

500 millions years of evolution and this is what you get. Lol.

I guess it was only a matter of time before some life forms become so smart, narcissistic and self-centered they decide they are the ultimate result of evolution and all that matters is their personal satisfaction, their wealth accumulation, their jobs - and (high-end) strippers of course.

Of course the flow of life doesn't care and will go on - with dumber people.

29   Heraclitusstudent   2014 Jul 10, 2:54am  

Ironically the other type of smart people are those who desperately want children but waited too long.

30   Y   2014 Jul 10, 2:58am  

Tribal thinking is why you are alive typing today.
Why do you hate evolution?

Dan8267 says

Strategic Renter says

Family is all that matters. Everything else is just noise.

That's tribal thinking.

31   Rin   2014 Jul 10, 3:05am  

Heraclitusstudent says

Of course the flow of life doesn't care and will go on - with dumber people.

Well, my sister had a child and thus, the family genes will persist. As for the dumbness, yes, it's certainly on her side of the house.

32   New Renter   2014 Jul 10, 3:06am  

SoftShell says

I didn't know male tittymilk was feline compatible.

Thanks for the education.

New Renter says

If you want a more involved experience ask for a motherless pre-wean. Be warned the feedings come often.

Its ALL tittymilk in some form or another

33   MisdemeanorRebel   2014 Jul 10, 3:08am  

As I type, I am saying to myself "Thank Fuck my kid is asleep and I have a chance to read the news and have time to eat a sandwich and drink a coffee slowly." And I'm on vacation.

He has a helluva smile though.

I salute people who know they won't have kids - but I also agree with Heraclitusstudent. The morons and the superficial will bust them out due to inertia and lack of self-reflection. The very people who ought to be reproducing like Rin will have few or none.

34   rufita11   2014 Jul 10, 3:11am  

@Rin, Someone has to raise the kind-hearted kid who's going to wipe your butt if you are unfortunate enough to not die before you experience mental or physical decline.

I am thankful to the parents raising nice, ethical people. It can't be easy. As for me, I just try to be the best aunt and mentor I can. I have at least one young person I might be able to rely on if I live longer than I should.

35   Rin   2014 Jul 10, 3:15am  

thunderlips11 says

The very people who ought to be reproducing like Rin will have few or none.

Didn't Ben Franklin, sort of regretted having a son, William, as the kid was a loyalist throughout the revolution?

http://thehistoryinsider.blogspot.com/2012/07/ben-franklins-son-royal-governor-and.html

Plus, who remembers William, as oppose to Ben, a founding father?

36   Rin   2014 Jul 10, 3:17am  

rufita11 says

Someone has to raise the kind-hearted kid who's going to wipe your butt if you are unfortunate enough to not die before you experience mental or physical decline.

Right now, I've got all the funds for a hospice service. As for families, plenty of kids have put their elders into a nursing home.

37   swebb   2014 Jul 10, 3:23am  

Rin says

Now, since many of my pals have had children and so forth, I'm absolutely astonished at how lame and boring these kids are. At best, they parrot TV shows and break toys, to the best of their abilities. In contrast, when I was a kid, I was dreaming of writing screenplays, inventing a lightsaber, and so forth.

If you don't want to have kids, that in itself is a good enough reason not to have kids. No need to justify the decision by pointing out that your friends have lame kids.

It's true that you "don't know what you're going to get" and that you can't be assured of a creative genius (in fact you can almost be assured of not having a creative genius), but you can certainly avoid the lameness you describe.

Has it occurred to you that your friends might be the lame ones here? Letting their kids watch TV and be boring idiots? I tend to think that if you did have kids you wouldn't let them be lame and boring in that way.

Do whatever you want...and by all means don't let yourself get pressured/tricked/guilted into having kids if you don't want them...

But to clear your calendar to so you can be the next Frank Lloyd Wright? Get over yourself.

38   Y   2014 Jul 10, 3:24am  

Why not just put in a living will that should you experience mental or physical decline, a "do not help and let me croak" clause?
At that stage you are on your way out anyway. Why put yourself and others through the horror of a long death?
Sounds somewhat selfish to me....

rufita11 says

@Rin, Someone has to raise the kind-hearted kid who's going to wipe your butt if you are unfortunate enough to not die before you experience mental or physical decline.

39   corntrollio   2014 Jul 10, 3:26am  

mfs.admin says

First off, kids need a lot of attention and time to grow up developed and normal and I don't have much personal time to dedicate to this and it would be unfair to a child if I were his parent.

The first part of that sentence is the proper attitude to have about raising children. Most people are too lazy or too stupid to dedicate the attention and time to raising children, so you get the Bieber/Spears types that HydroCabron is joking about.

Studies have shown that lower income people are particularly bad about this. The studies show that they tend to view marriage as "settling down" but don't think of having children as "settling down," so that's why they have kids out of wedlock so frequently. They don't view kids as something that gets in the way of their life, and that permeates their whole life and results in poor child-rearing:

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/06/why-poor-women-dont-wait-for-marriage-to-give-birth/372890/

swebb says

Has it occurred to you that your friends might be the lame ones here? Letting their kids watch TV and be boring idiots? I tend to think that if you did have kids you wouldn't let them be lame and boring in that way.

This seems to be the operative point to me. Don't have kids if you don't want to have kids, but don't use your lame friends' kids as an excuse -- just own it.

40   Heraclitusstudent   2014 Jul 10, 3:27am  

Rin says

rufita11 says

Someone has to raise the kind-hearted kid who's going to wipe your butt if you are unfortunate enough to not die before you experience mental or physical decline.

Right now, I've got all the funds for a hospice service.

Wouldn't help much if someone wasn't raising that kind-hearted kid who's going to wipe your butt, now would it?

Comments 1 - 40 of 249       Last »     Search these comments

Please register to comment:

api   best comments   contact   latest images   memes   one year ago   random   suggestions