Children are not so much a "right" as a responsibility. With children no longer needed to help "run the farm," having children today requires a new kind of awareness and commitment.
In the beginning, having children was just a byproduct of sexual instinct. Later it was a means to increase manpower for survival (hunting the mastodon, tilling the fields). It was just a part of life, even what one aspired to. A strapping daughter was great, a robust son perhaps even better.
Having children can be an expression of love to our mate. How can two people be more intimate than to literally mix their biological (genetic) essence into a tangible package? Children also help cement the marital bond through the shared common interest. There's ego involved too. For how would the world be right without our personal genetic packages continuing on, right?
But bearing children is serious business, not just a diversion from boredom or a means to pacify our insecurities or ego fantasies. In modern civilization things are different than in the bush or on the farm. The world already has more than enough people for its resources. Children do not help families survive; rather they are an economic burden.
To not have children is to miss out on something not duplicated by any other possible experience. It is such a joy that some parents keep repeating it without a full understanding of the long-term responsibilities and consequences. Regardless of their age you never really break the cord. So procreation is not recreation. Today’s world requires an intelligent approach to most everything. Certainly, would-be parents should be educated on child rearing as well as the impact population pressure has on the world. In fact, nobody should be allowed to have children without such training. It’s insane that such an important responsibility requires nothing more than capable (and always willing) genitals.
But since there is no such training or requirement thereof, I’ll take on the duty here. Before you become Mr. or Mrs. Fecund, consider the following:
With all that said, there will never be another time in life when you feel so important and are so needed as when you are raising your family. There is also no equal affinity you can have for another than that for your child. Watching the development of children, when all things in the world are fresh and new to them, is like reliving these discoveries and joys yourself.
But do not be deceived into thinking it lasts. It not only doesn’t, it passes so quickly you will be aghast. It is also cruel in that, although you are a constant to your child, they are an evolving creature with a series of deaths and rebirths through their various stages. You will long for the soft tender feel of their infant bodies, their sweet milky breath, their cute antics and clumsy verbiage, their first steps, their fears that only you can allay, and the awakening of their intellect. All these marvelous things pass quickly, ultimately leaving you with the empty nest syndrome and to mourn each stage of their childhood that is gone forever.
Several children later, these are the lessons I have learned. Would I like to experience rearing them all again? Yes, in a heartbeat. Did I do everything as well or as intelligently as I now perhaps could and am telling you to? No.
Such is life.
Tackling Urolithiasis in Pets: A Natural Approach to Struvite and Bladder Stones
Discover the naturalistic approach to preventing and treating struvite crystals, bladder stones, and urolithiasis in dogs and cats. Learn how a diet closer to what their wild counterparts eat can promote better urinary health and prevent common urinary diseases.Lipid Functions
Lipids are a concentrated source of energy providing more than double the amount on a per-weight basis than that contained in either carbohydrates or proteins. They help maintain body temperature through both their insulating effects and the heat generated from their oxidation.Learn From History
We either learn from history or we are doomed to repeat it. The wise not only pay attention to world history, but the experiences (history) of others in order to avoid making mistakes.