What really intrigued me and what no-one’s really addressed - is that parenting is hardly ever presented as something to avoid, quite the reverse.

When I read this I thought of “Misery loves company.” If people who are already parents deterred others away from parenthood, they’d be alone with no one else with whom to comiserate!

What I don’t understand is, how could some people (I won’t say all because I’m sure some did) not see how difficult it is to be a parent? I suppose it’s a lack of being situationally aware.

I agree, free hugs don’t cut it either. I get hugs (and more) from my boyfriend. Personally, I don’t see a snotty, sticky, LOUD “hug” appealing. I’m sure some parents don’t mind, but they tolerate it cause it’s their kid.

I see my advantage as being - yes I know all that and thankfully avoided the it all. What really intrigued me and what no-one’s really addressed - is that parenting is hardly ever presented as something to avoid, quite the reverse. Perhaps it should be. It’s stressful and yet almost without exception people are encouraged to go into it with no thought for the reality or if they are capable. Simply because “they think it’s the thing to do”.

If this were a job app. no one in their right mind would apply. But if they do sign up they they shouldn’t moan about it. If parents survive this, no wonder they’re subsumed in their children. They have to have something to show for the years of serving them. And as for “unlimited opportunities for personal growth? I wouldn’t have used the word “unlimited” myself. Free hugs just don’t cut it.

WTF!! I don’t want any of my own, so why the hell would I want to deal with yours, who are nothing to me?? Sorry if I’m not inclined to sign up as your baggage handler and unpaid babysitter!

And if his daughter was his greatest accomplishment - so, you got your end away and made a baby? I’d have told him what a sad f**k that makes him, and how I only date people that are INTERESTING.

I always felt weird, different. That maybe someday the maternal instinct would kick in and then maybe I’d want a kid. I thought that maybe if I just went ahead and had a baby that maternal instincts would kick in. I’ve written here before about the time when I was 19 that I finally put my foot down (to myself! That was freeing!) that I simply did not want children and wasn’t going to have them just because everyone said I should.

So like, I’ve seen a similar “job description” for parent/parenthood before and for some reason… I never really found it funny. Not knocking you, Britgirl. I say this because it’s like, “Uhm. Yeah. Did you people (parents) not understand this?” To me it’s like a “Hello? duh!” type thing. I dunno, maybe I just have no sense of humour in topics like this. hehehe….

@Phoena - You reminded me of this story. I was trying the online dating thing and in my profile I SPECIFICALLY stated, “No fathers, please. That means if you have children, don’t bother to email me.” So I had one guy email me and like a fool I believed that he doesn’t have kids cause he contacted me anyway. We’re at a restaurant and he asked me all proudly, “What’s your proudest accomplishment?” Me, I answered my college degree. Him? Get this, he said, “My daughter. ” I looked at him. He apologized then said that he found my profile so interesting and he really wanted to meet me and felt that if I could just get to know him it wouldn’t matter that he had a kid and infact, HE didn’t have custody but his ex-wife did. I didn’t say anything and then flatly said, “first of all, you can’t say your daughter is your proudest accomplishment, that gets determined when she becomes a productive member of society (apparently she was a very young kid) and secondly, sorry, I’m NOT interested in children. At all.” Can you believe he called me again and when I didn’t return his phone call he left me a nasty message on my voice mail about how I was some sort of child hater, etc. and all the bingoes that go along with that?

@Chris W: One of my favorite movie quotes from “Talladega Nights” is said by one of the kids in the movie, “This applebee’s food is CRAZY delicious!” hehe.. I thought of that when I read the news article. BTW, did you see the atrocious comments? “applebee’s should give that kid free food for life” “put him in a commercial”, etc. Disgusting. They want to REWARD that behviour. >:|

It’s bad enough for a parent to feel all superior and self-congratulatory when they are actually living with and (hopefully) some-what raising their kids, but for them to still feel superior and self-congratulatory when they just dump their kids and have little to do with them anymore? Disgusting.

Boy, 6, Tries To Drive To Applebee’s