I had my three
for perhaps the wrong reasons initially, but I'm glad that I have them. Two of them post on b3ta sporadically- my oldest son posts pictures, mainly, but my daughter posts to QOTW.

I have to say, taking trips with them now is ace- there is always conversation in the car, we always laugh and joke, and we all know the rules for traveling comfortably (pee whenever we stop, get smallish snacks and drinks, sleep if you can). They've become the sort of people I like to hang out with- though I do have to be careful to maintain a little distance, as I'm a parent rather than a friend.

One day they'll be my caretakers, besides- just as at some point I'll likely be assisting in caring for my parents.

As for specific reasons to have kids... I guess that depends on the person, doesn't it? My ex wanted kids because she was raised to think that This Is What You Do- grow up, get married, start pumping out kids as fast as possible. I resisted her for several years, but ultimately felt the urge myself- it was in a strange way a feeling of wanting to revisit my own childhood, but revise and edit it so that I was on the other side of things, providing a warm and safe place for the kids rather than being kept that way myself. So I caved in to her pressure and we had the three while I was in my twenties- which meant that I didn't have the extended adolescence that most get, but that now that they're old enough to be basically adults, I'm still young enough to enjoy life with them.

Dunno what to tell you, other than that it's a personal choice, and if you're hesitating, don't do it yet.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Thu 15 Jan 2009, 17:23, Reply)