Do you want kids?

In theory, I certainly do. I would love to have a big family — four children at least, perhaps even more. It makes life interesting.

But sometimes I wonder — I'm an adult, and people younger than me have children, but I am not entirely sure that I would be able to take care of a family properly. I can take care of myself, more or less, although I could certainly keep my room cleaner and neater; but would I be able to take care of an hypothetical offspring without traumatizing them too much?

Well, it does not matter for now, as I first have to make myself a position and all that. But if things go as planned, in four/five years I will have to consider this very seriously...

edited 2nd Mar '12 12:58:25 PM by Carciofus

I would love to have kids, but not until i am at least my late 20's and at least married a few years, so i know that me and my wife would work out, and not do what my parents did and get married at 21, only knowing each other for 2 years.

Eventually, My wife and I have discussed this, but first we want to be entirely economically stable.

I want to have kids.

I want to have kids, but I'm not sure yet how. I can't carry my own children, so I'd have to either go in vitro with a surrogate, adoption, or foster. Actually, even if I do have biological children, which, frankly, I really want to, I'd still look into adoption and fostering.

I have a niece and three nephews, and I've always loved kids, and frankly, I love looking after people. So many children are neglected and abused, and I'd like to help them. The more the merrier. My boyfriend is of a similar frame of mind, so when we eventually get married and are financially stable, we plan on a large family.

Yeah, they'd have to get jobs as teenagers, and study hard for scholarships (neither my boyfriend or I will even be making a massive salary), but they will be loved, fed, clothed, and encouraged to learn.

Any kid of mine will have to work, regardless of my salary.

I'm not bringig up some useless deadbeat who thinks stuff just appears by magic when you demand it.

For me, it depends. If they want to study and money permits it, I will be more than happy to provide for them: I would not expect them to take a job in addition to their studies, I would expect them to treat their studies as their job.

edited 12th Mar '12 10:23:24 AM by Carciofus

^^For that reason, I would teach any possible future children of mine cooking, sewing (or at least repairing), and various methods of cleaning. Then if they feel like working and are the correct age for it, I would point them to a job in the fast-food industry or grocery business because it is character-building and they won't get entitled.

I mean, it's nice to be proud of one's abilities but you still have to prove them and that usually means working up from the bottom rung of the ladder.

Also: The correct usage and maintenance of fountain pens. No child of mine should ever have to depend on an iPad to write a grocery list.

• Also also: The correct usage and maintenance of laptops. My niece and I have the same model, but hers is—to put it in the most polite terms—filthy.
  • Also also also: The Dewey Decimal system, so they won't get lost in libraries.
    • Also also also also: What a library is. And a bookshop.

edited 12th Mar '12 5:32:08 PM by Leradny

I would probably be a very lax sort of parent.

That's the way I was raised: even as a little kid, my parents — who are basically hippies — very rarely forced me to do things. If I asked for advice, they gave it; but they did not have the slightest tendency to micromanage my life or order me around beyond basic safety requirements.

And, probably for that reason, neither I nor my siblings ever underwent a real "rebellious" stage: we progressively became more and more independent, obviously, but we simply had nothing to rebel against.

edited 13th Mar '12 3:07:10 AM by Carciofus

We are raising a child. She is actually a cousin of mine (long story). Best thing, ever.

I'd like to have them someday. I've been working at a daycare center the last few months, and it's brought back terrific memories. The thing I wonder is, if I have a daughter, what sort of toys would I buy her? I'm from a four boy family, and I had Lego and the occasional Star Wars toy when I was growing up.

Same toys. Just because she has an xx chromosome doesn't make Legos and G I Joes any less fun! I loved them! Still do actually.

Everyone loves LEGO.

My sister used to like playing with my toy cars and had an army uniform. She had Barbies and Cindies, too, but they kept having dark and disturbing Lovecraftian adventures in the cupboard under the stairs.

edited 27th Mar '12 2:24:37 AM by InverurieJones

Buy your hypothetical daughter some pencils and other craft materials. They work well for either gender.

I loved lego... mainly, my grandmother's extensive set of 'Medieval Castle' lego people.

That stuff is at least partially responsible for my writer-ly tendencies. In an odd way, I never actually stopped playing with them. The games just moved inside my head.

Barbie makes awesome hostages for GI Joe to rescue (or take out).

Red Claw vs. Batman recreations are always fun.

I would probably just try to see what my hypothetical offspring likes. I would try to push them towards creative forms of play; but whether it is building or painting or knitting or electronics or gardening or whatever would be entirely up to them.

Is that take out as in going on a date or 'take out' in the military sense?

Military sense.

Skipper dolls were great because of their bent arms they could hold Joe's M16.

I believed in EO bad guys even as a child.

I want kids. Preferably 2 or 4 (no more than 4) so I don't have a huge problem with middle child syndrome. I don't want to end up with too much kids either, I have an uncle who's 30 who already has 5 kids and all of them are about 18 months apart. It's weird.

No, I don't. I don't have the skills for kids.

I already knew when I was still in high school that I would not be a good parent to small children. From the time they hit about 6 or so, I deal with them well, but infants and toddlers? No. Not enough patience.

I would be an excellent father, but I will never be one due to the costs of having children and my inability to romantically love anyone.

I do eventually. Gonna make sure that I'm able to take care of myself and my partner before I do though.

Jein (German portmanteau for "yes" and "no").

I agree with some of the posts/posters in this thread, most specifically post 12 (if I remember correctly).

The problem would be that I'd give them names like Ulala and Roxas.

edited 6th May '12 7:50:29 PM by Enzeru