Calling Languish parents: Why did you decide to have children?

[garbon]

Because when I get home from work I hear a very excited "daddy!", hear the pitter-patter of little feet, and get a huge enthusiastic hug.

That's why.

Another selfish reason. Could have just got a dog.

Ye

Because when I get home from work I hear a very excited "daddy!", hear the pitter-patter of little feet, and get a huge enthusiastic hug.

That's why.

Another selfish reason. Could have just got a dog.

Sure, because a dog is a lot like a child. No difference there at all.

I am not sure what point you are trying to make though - why are you using "selfish" as a pejorative term in this context? Why is it bad to want to have children because it brings one joy/pleasure/happiness?

Like I've said, and you've failed to understand, we are programmed to derive enjoyment from having children - but the enjoyment is not the point. Just like you enjoy sex, the enjoyment is not the reason for sex, it is just a means for our biology to encourage us to engage in an activity that is beneficial to life.

The root "reason" is that without procreation, life ends. This is true for all organisms.

You want to just stop at some arbitrary level (the "because we enjoy it") level so you can feel smug and superior about not having kids, as if your reasons to not have them are somehow more valid than our reasons to have them. But that is, of course, completely arbitrary. The reason we enjoy it is because our biology demands that we continue our species.

Can there be a better reason to do anything?

When you continue on like this - it is hard for me to parse out your troll...even though you already said it was a troll.

[crazy canuck]

"Why did you decide to have children?" is a legitimate question. It's a major decision that most people face and it's very often a conscious decision. That some people get defensive about it says more about those people than about the question.

Yes.  But saying it is a simple question is the troll - well that and labelling every reason insufficient.

[Berkut]

I did not say it was a troll.

[crazy canuck]

Perhaps the better question is why do people choose not to have children.  If one wishes to speak about self centred greedy behaviour the decision to devote all your resources to yourself rather than spending some of those resources to raise the next generation has got to be near the top of the list.

Mind you Marti does us all a kindness by not adopting.  Even though he will not pass on his nature he could still do some serious damage.

[garbon]

Perhaps the better question is why do people choose not to have children.  If one wishes to speak about self centred greedy behaviour the decision to devote all your resources to yourself rather than spending some of those resources to raise the next generation has got to be near the top of the list.

Mind you Marti does us all a kindness by not adopting.  Even though he will not pass on his nature he could still do some serious damage.

Not necessarily. A single person could have more disposable income to a) help economy, b) donate to charity, c) leave more wealth behind that wasn't tied up in additional mouths that they've created.

[CountDeMoney]

Mart, have you ever asked your parents why they had you?

wins the thread 

Sorry, but Marti wins the thread by trolling all you idiots into participating in 12+ pages of his heterophobic bullshit.

And you knew it, too.  And you did it anyway.



"You know whats going to happen here in the morning? The whole damn forum is going to be here. They'll move through this thread, occupy these posts on the other side and when our people get here Marti will have the high ground. There will be the devil to pay! The high ground! Berkut will come in slowly, cautiously. New to command. They'll be on his back in The Off Topic Topic, wire hot with messages 'Post! Post!' So he will set up a ring around the Thread Starter. And when Marti's nicely entrenched behind fat posts on the high ground, Berkut will finally attack, if he can coordinate BB and Malthus. Straight up the thread, out in the open, in that gorgeous field of fire.

We will post valiantly... and be trolled valiantly! And afterwards posters in tall hats and gold watch fobs will thump their chest and say what a brave thread it was.

Katmai, I've led a mod's life, and I've never seen anything as brutally clear as this."

[Malthus]

Hey, I made a serious reply.


Which was totally ignored by all. 

[crazy canuck]

Perhaps the better question is why do people choose not to have children.  If one wishes to speak about self centred greedy behaviour the decision to devote all your resources to yourself rather than spending some of those resources to raise the next generation has got to be near the top of the list.

Mind you Marti does us all a kindness by not adopting.  Even though he will not pass on his nature he could still do some serious damage.

Not necessarily. A single person could have more disposable income to a) help economy, b) donate to charity, c) leave more wealth behind that wasn't tied up in additional mouths that they've created.

You missed the part about adopting. 

[MadImmortalMan]

Awesome. Buford rules. 

[garbon]

I did not say it was a troll.

I'm missing something then.  I said that I didn't really think that because biology compels it was relevant to Marti's question about why individuals here chose to have kids. Eventually you told me that you were responding to Marti's troll with a "troll" of your own.

I guess everything you've said isn't a troll (or rather tangent) if you are going to the core of Marti's question about the need to justify having children but like I said before seems rather irrelevant to the actual stated question of "why did you decide to have children".

[garbon]

Perhaps the better question is why do people choose not to have children.  If one wishes to speak about self centred greedy behaviour the decision to devote all your resources to yourself rather than spending some of those resources to raise the next generation has got to be near the top of the list.

Mind you Marti does us all a kindness by not adopting.  Even though he will not pass on his nature he could still do some serious damage.

Not necessarily. A single person could have more disposable income to a) help economy, b) donate to charity, c) leave more wealth behind that wasn't tied up in additional mouths that they've created.

You missed the part about adopting. 

Not really. You can still assist future generations without adopting.

[DGuller]

I'm curious to see what Malthus will say in this thread.

[Berkut]

Well yeah, we've all been pretty much sitting around marking time until Malthus chimes in.

[Barrister]

"Why did you decide to have children?" is a legitimate question. It's a major decision that most people face and it's very often a conscious decision. That some people get defensive about it says more about those people than about the question.

Yes.  But saying it is a simple question is the troll - well that and labelling every reason insufficient.

This.  I'd be more than happy to have a discussion about kids.  Having a 5-day-old in the house brings the issue to the forefront.  (heh - it sounds so funny to measure a lifespan in days).

But it's one thing to ask a question.  It's another to challenge someone to "justify" their decision, and then decide that reasons are insufficient.

Personally, I simply can not agree that a choice which involves me sacrificing thousands of hours and thousands of dollars for another person as being "selfish".

[DGuller]

Personally, I simply can not agree that a choice which involves me sacrificing thousands of hours and thousands of dollars for another person as being "selfish".

Buying a BMW will sacrifice thousands of dollars as well, as well as thousands of hours driving it to and from the shop.