To breed or not to breed

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(Since my wife and I chose many moons ago not to be parents, I thought the following was funny: )

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Studies show that couples who choose not to have children are happier than those who do. So quit leaning on me to spawn.

Salon (you must look at an adv. to view entire article)

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Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 3,024 • Replies: 25

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I'm also childless, by choice. And yep, that quote amused me.

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Reproduction is a better term to be used than "breed", when referring to the human race.

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Likeawise "spawn" isn't applicable to the human race, unless there's something "spawing" about this biological classification.

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Oh, I thought it was "begat." Rolling Eyes

I actually prefer "squeezing out a few puppies", "dropping a squirmer", and "ejecting a tax deduction" over your suggestion, Pops.

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Ha!

I'm a parent and happy about it, but looks like we're just gonna have one, and I've been getting a lot of the same flack that people who choose to have zero get. I loved this line:

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People do not behave this way about other pleasures. I enjoy sex with men, but don't go about badgering lesbians to see what they're missing.

And I think this is the crux of it:

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Hanson agrees that even if mothers say they don't regret having children, as a group they're not more satisfied with their lives than nonmothers. For all the truth about the innate physiological rewards of mothering, he says, "The happy people are the ones who wanted kids and had them or didn't want kids and didn't have them."

(Emphasis mine.)

I.e. it's a tad misleading to say that people without children are happier than those with -- people who DON'T WANT children and then don't have them are happier than those who DON'T WANT children but have them anyway.

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PD..found that quote quite amuzing myself.

Generally though..I just tell people that I really like kids and would rather not change that.

<as a non spawning entity>

I think of it is generally as soz puts up there....if you didnt want them, didnt have them, its good, if you wanted them, had them, good...anything else well, its either good or bad but, mostly bad for someone involved in some way.

The Change thing however....to what extent, and to what purpose?

Sure, I could go back in time, change things and probably still survive quite amicably with children however, I wouldnt be me, and would that be good? Dont know, cant go back, why wonder?

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so whats with havin kids. If youve a farm you need the help.
When we had little farmerboy and farmergirl i wasnt real able to deal with the shock and awe. Its turned into a real neat family with problems, solutions and sort of a Waltons attitude. a couple of our friends are 'no kids" types from our hippie , biker years and theyre quite happy. As theyve gotten into their fifties they are realizing that their gene pool is pretty-much truncated. some deal with that with similar shock and awe, like "aw ****, I wished I had someone to do really stupid stuff, like set off rockets and play catch without lookin like a tard'

new HAven-youre offense at "spawning' and squeezin out a loaf, (no wait, thats something else), is funny.

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When Should a Woman Avoid Having Children?

Let's add some fuel

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I've never had any real inclination to pop out a pup (I like that one too!). My goal these days is to find a man to be happy with. If a kid happens, it'll be because the time and person was right. But, seeing as I'm 34 and single with no prospects for a male counterpart at the moment, I'm thinking I'll stay childless. I've got a kickass neice and she's going to have a sibling in a few months. Another sister is working on a pup of her own. No worries about the end of the line here in this family.

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hmm, i want children, two or three. i really do. i swear i will be happy no matter how they turn out. i suppose i'm an old fashioned gal, although i want kids even if they came without a man. i can imagine that being way tough, but i still want. i want i want i want.

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as education increases, fecundity decreases

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I'm so curious about the two "change" votes -- why they said so, and in which direction. Start another anonymous account to say so?

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i just want to replace myself in the universe. perhaps a self-preservation instinct.

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Nothing more primal.

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who changed votes?

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dyslexia wrote:

as education increases, fecundity decreases

And, the textual ctiation from biological sources is? Shocked

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In fact -- the article talks about it possibly being genetic, like homosexuality. Could indeed be a similar sort of wrinkle, geared toward tweaking the primal urge enough that the population stays relatively constant. Also there have been studies about the uncle/ aunt effect, adults without their own children helping to take care of others' children.

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That's not what I learned when I took Cell and Molecular Biology.

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sozobe wrote:

In fact -- the article talks about it possibly being genetic, like homosexuality. Could indeed be a similar sort of wrinkle, geared toward tweaking the primal urge enough that the population stays relatively constant. Also there have been studies about the uncle/ aunt effect, adults without their own children helping to take care of others' children.

Hmmmm, now that sounds familiar....

You know, in other countries, it's much more common for the whole family to help raise children.

Same goes for animals who tend to group in packs/prides/etc.

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To breed or not to breed

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