Am I the only parent?

HMTKSteve

Seriously, does anyone else on the forum have kid(s)?

Rochelle

*crickets*

Actually there are a few people who are parents, however I don't think many of them are regular forum-goers.

sime

I have one that I made just recently, but as Ro said, I am not that regular a forum goer.

TheWhaleShark

I have one that I made just recently

Really? What's the recipe for child? I've heard it involves two chefs, but I can never seem to find a willing second.

sime

The key is to bring some good ingredients to the party, and you will have less trouble finding another chef willing to cook with them. I like to think I brought white truffles to the broth.

I cant help but feel like this metaphor (or is it an analogy) is quickly going to a bad place.

HMTKSteve

I guess this is two strikes against me.

Thaed

I have two children 7 and 5. They are absolutely wonderful kids.

Tasel

I have 1 very rambunctious 16 month old. I've found that I go through phases of forum activity. Maybe I should change my handle here to Schrodinger. I think us geeks with kids tend to have a lot less time to stroll through the forum unless at work or the kids (and wife/husband) is sleeping. All of our internet time is spent looking up new geek stuff instead. Maybe once I get my iPhone I will be able to participate more while on the train ride.

kage_rod

Kids are nummy, especially when barbequed.

I'm kidding, of course. I quite like kids, and I can't wait till I have some of my own (although there's a very good chance of me becoming a foster parent).

Starfox

Kids are nummy, especially when barbequed.

This works too.

Kate Monster

Adam and I are planning on having one child in the next three to five years (after my masters and before my doctoral studies). Thankfully we are both going into education, so taking time off for said child while I am pursuing studies shouldn't be too bad (not tons of money, but decent time and great benefits).

EDIT: We are getting two dogs this Fall and having a Puppy Shower (since we didn't do a wedding shower, and it is an excuse to have everyone over to meet the dogs and have a puppy themed party)! Yeah, I recognize that having dogs isn't the same as being a parent, but I am so excited about them that I couldn't help but post. (Hopefully it will also stave off the crazy baby urge that has taken over my brain the past year (or three years... to be honest).

Viga

I really want a child someday. No time soon at all! I would love to raise and little daughter. In the meantime I'm going to just help take part in raising my niece. ^_^

If I ever had a boy...I wouldn't know what to do! T_T

HMTKSteve

Be careful with the dogs and bringing a baby into the house. Some dogs take to kids better than others. Other dogs greatly resent the loss of attention due to a child being brought into the house and can cause serious trouble.

I'm not saying don't get the dogs but I am saying to research the breed and talk to other owners who also have kids.

Kate Monster

Be careful with the dogs and bringing a baby into the house. Some dogs take to kids better than others. Other dogs greatly resent the loss of attention due to a child being brought into the house and can cause serious trouble.

I'm not saying don't get the dogs but I am saying to research the breed and talk to other owners who also have kids.

I've doen breed research and teh specific breed I was raised with has always been great with kids. My parents take in rescues of the breed (usually they have been abused or abandoned) so they are most disposed to problems with children, but care, attention, and good training have always prevailed with them and kids. Trust me, when it comes to kids I do my research. The only thing I have known I wanted to be since I was a child was a mother. I consider it my main "career" and my actual career is a job that I find interesting and supports my main career as a mother. I know Mr.MacRoss feels the same way about being a father.

HMTKSteve

i'm glad to hear you have done the research. I grew up with dogs in the house and we never had a problem. My brother did have a problem with his golden lab. they had the dog for a few years before the birth of their first son and shortly after his birth the dog became a serious problem around the house. She could not adjust from being the kid to being the dog.

Kate Monster

i'm glad to hear you have done the research. I grew up with dogs in the house and we never had a problem. My brother did have a problem with his golden lab. they had the dog for a few years before the birth of their first son and shortly after his birth the dog became a serious problem around the house. She could not adjust from being the kid to being the dog.

That is one of the reasons we are getting two dogs instead of one. They will be used to sharing attention with each other. (Also, Adam and I both work and it is unfair to leave a little one alone all day, I think.)

Lyddi

If I ever had a boy...I wouldn't know what to do! T_T

Ugh, I know what you mean. Boys kick people and pee on you. I want a girl so I can paint her room pink and play girly stuff with her and take her to Disney to meet the Princesses... But I tend to be an unlucky person, so I'll end up having a boy anyway. Oh well, at least both sexes can enjoy stuff like video games (my girl would) and Harry Potter.

Kate Monster

If I ever had a boy...I wouldn't know what to do! T_T

Ugh, I know what you mean. Boys kick people and pee on you. I want a girl so I can paint her room pink and play girly stuff with her and take her to Disney to meet the Princesses... But I tend to be an unlucky person, so I'll end up having a boy anyway. Oh well, at least both sexes can enjoy stuff like video games (my girl would) and Harry Potter.

I don't get the "I want a girl"/"I want a boy" thing. Every child is an individual. You may have a boy that likes pink and princesses and girl that wants to play paintball and play Halo. If you even think about WHAT your want your kids to be over WHO you want your kids to be it is a real problem.

Viga

If I ever had a boy...I wouldn't know what to do! T_T

Ugh, I know what you mean. Boys kick people and pee on you. I want a girl so I can paint her room pink and play girly stuff with her and take her to Disney to meet the Princesses... But I tend to be an unlucky person, so I'll end up having a boy anyway. Oh well, at least both sexes can enjoy stuff like video games (my girl would) and Harry Potter.

And both sexes can be into anime! And Art!

Kyahh! I want to do those thing with a girl too. I want to go shopping and have tea parties and cook with her. Just like when I was a little girl!

I don't get the "I want a girl"/"I want a boy" thing. Every child is an individual. You may have a boy that likes pink and princesses and girl that wants to play paintball and play Halo. If you even think about WHAT your want your kids to be over WHO you want your kids to be it is a real problem.

That is true but if I did have a son who liked dresses and frills or a girl who loved playing in the mud with action figures I would still love them a shit ton. If I did have a boy doesn't mean I wouldn't love them and support who they want to be.

Heh. Being that I was such a tomboy maybe my girl would be a total son. :P

HMTKSteve

My daughter is not the frilly type. She never wears dresses nor plays with dolls. She is a video game nerd all the way!

Rochelle

I don't get the "I want a girl"/"I want a boy" thing.

If I ever decide to have children, I honestly want a boy and not a girl. I don't think I could handle raising a girl. You know that saying that mothers give their daughters, "Just wait till you have a daughter.". If I was a bit of hell for my mother, I can only expect my daughter for me to be twice as much. Plus I love boys. However, I guess in the end it really doesn't matter. If I did have a girl, I would make her an awesome girl and buy her things that are non-girly. I hate frilly-froo-froo stuff. I would want her to be tomboyish and do sports, martial arts, vidji games, and watch anime with me.

My daughter is not the frilly type. She never wears dresses nor plays with dolls. She is a video game nerd all the way!

Awesome!

gomidog

I had a good childhood, and I hope that if I am ever a parent I can raise cool kids. Gender doesn't matter to me, just so long as they don't act like little punks all the time. I just want them to be smart and happy.

...Maybe some day I will adopt kids. Right now, though, I think I am more at "rabbit" stage than "kid" stage, and likely to stay that way for some time. Also, even though I dig chillins, Rym does not, for he thinks that they would cramp his style.

HMTKSteve

The only problems I encounter come about when dealing with other people's kids. My daughter and I are so close that when her friends come over she wants me to be involved with what they do while her friends have the, "why is your dad in here with us?" look on their faces.

...

If I ever had a boy...I wouldn't know what to do! T_T

Drop him on hid head and teach him manners. Worked for me.

Ugh, I know what you mean. Boys kick people and pee on you.

Those are the unmannered idiots. Though hardly as bad as the little fuckhead that lived near our previous house. Got such a big mouth, huge front teeth and took a dump on the grass of the play ground on front of our house!

As for wanting a boy or a girl, a boy is more likely to enjoy technology and videogames, though on the other hand, they're also more likely to be brats. So yeah, I don't really care if I have a boy or a girl many years into the future.

Kate Monster

I don't think girls are harder to raise than boys, I just don't think the average parent in the U.S. puts as much time/attention/care into raising boys as they do girls. We have this "boys will be boys' mentality. We forget that we are raising them to be men, not boys (whereas we are actively looking to raise our girls into women - this could be owing to the fact that girls can get pregnant if they are irresponsible thing, but that doesn't excuse ignoring our sons).

Jason

I've been married six years and my wife and I are in no hurry to have children. We have a dog and two cats. That is sufficient. But for some reason there is an expectation from everyone we encounter that children MUST come: Why aren't we having them? Why aren't we having them NOW? Why isn't Lisa pregnant? What's wrong? Is there a medical issue? Are you two having marital trouble? Good god.

gomidog

Yeah, I see that happen a lot. In the city it's not so rare that you get two professionals who are married and have pets instead of kids, but there is this old fashioned mentality you get with the older generation that marriage = kids! Oh well.

Apreche

Those people who want you to have kids are just jealous. They had kids that took away the best years of their lives, so they want everyone else to do the same. They can't stand to see you living the good life because it makes them regret the decisions they made. If they can believe their decision to have kids was mandatory, or close to it,, then it is easier for them to not regret it.

Kate Monster

I think that is an unfair and unwise expectation. Some couples do not want children, or only want one child and they get pressure from their relatives to have children that they do not want. Seriously, too many children are born into this world unwanted, and there is almost no excuse for most adults in modern countries to have children they do not want. We all know what causes pregnancy, we all know the products available to us to prevent pregnancies, and we have the ability to judge if we want to/have the resources (not just monetary, but mental, emotional, etc.) to be good parents or not. I know that my in-laws flipped out when we told them we only wanted one child. They made it sound like we were killing THEIR siblings saying things like "I can't imagine life without my brother," and so on. If you never had a brother to begin with, then I am betting you would be okay.

Kate Monster

Those people who want you to have kids are just jealous. They had kids that took away the best years of their lives, so they want everyone else to do the same. They can't stand to see you living the good life because it makes them regret the decisions they made. If they can believe their decision to have kids was mandatory, or close to it,, then it is easier for them to not regret it.

This implies that having kids is not living "the good life". Everyone's idea of a good life is different, and for some that includes children. It has less to do with jealousy and more to do with older societal expectations.

Andrew

If you don't reproduce, you quite literally failed at life.