Dreamer_D
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2007
- Messages
- 25,518
MissGotRocks|1405736497|3716325 said:The love you have for a child is something you can't describe - it just has to be experienced. I think there are probably some people who are disappointed in the way their children turned out or in the relationship that they have with them. I think there are fewer still that would honestly say they regret it. Children add another dimension to your life that can't be compared to anything else - not pets, not nieces and nephews, not anything. There are people who choose to remain childless and I respect them for their decision. I am very happy that I had my two children and would not trade that experience for anything else In life. They are now grown and starting their own families. Being a grandparent expands the world of your children to another very enjoyable level.
For some people, raising their children and sometimes their grandchildren, has been challenging. It can be a financial challenge, a personal challenge and probably a lot of heartache when situations went bad through divorce or death. I still don't think most of those folks would have regretted having the children - they would have just wished that circumstances could have been different.
I would never counsel anyone to either have or not have children - and that includes my own children. It is a very personal decision and will require a huge amount of commitment and often sacrifice. It makes you step outside of the 'me' realm of life and often times consider someone else's well being before your own. From that, some of life's greatest rewards are found. For me, it was one of the greatest privileges of my life and certainly not something I have ever regretted.
I could not have said this any better! I feel exactly the same way MGR. My sons are the most interesting and wonderful people I know and I am so lucky to be able to know them for the rest of my life.
I am not an ooey gooey mommy type, and I have a demanding career I love that takes a lot of my time and energy. Yet my life would feel hollow without my kids and the sense of family and connectedness I get from my kids and husband. My husband and I fantasize all the time about how rich we would be if we didn't have kids, and we love to imagine our lives when we are older and retired without kids, but being parents together is amazing and I don't regret it at all no matter the challenges (and there are many!). Most of the most meaningful and fulfilling things I have done in my life involved sacrifice, hard work, sometimes negative emotions... But it was all so worth it in the end, and kids are no different! Parenting is really the most interesting and eye opening thing I have ever done in my life!