(no subject)
"Monkey see and monkey do
Making babies, eating food
Smelly things, pubic hair
Words of love, in the air
Sparks fly, shooting out
Making sure that everything is working
I can't turn you down
We are programmed happy little children
Matter over mind
We can not resist so I won't fight it"
--The Talking Heads
"The Facts of Life"
So the big news of the day (week? year?) is that Julia and I are going to be an aunt and uncle. Lyshie is four months along in her pregnancy and she told us the news last night. I loved Julia's response: "I wanted to be the first to have a kid...", like this is some sort of competition. Call it prophetic but yesterday at work, I was surfing the web on various philosophies on parenting and childrearing (I have A LOT of free time on my hands) since Jules and I are looking to start our own family in the next year and a half or so. There's a lot of interesting schools of thought out there, everywhere from the Quiverfull Movement to the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement.
Those who are "childless by choice" (L, I hope you're reading this) may not understand why couples choose to have children, or at worst, may accuse them of acting selfishly for having children. On face value, it does appear to be the case. I mean, you're creating a life to fulfill a need that you as a potential parent have. However, by this same logic, every altruistic act is also inherently selfish. Ask anyone who does regular volunteer work why they do it, and the answer you'll probably get is "I like helping others" or "I feel the need to help others" My annual trip to PFEW, through the act of helping others, satisfies my conscienous obligation to help my fellow man, and my hedonistic desire to feel good about myself. It's the same with the so-called maternal/paternal instinct that I feel brewing in my heart/penis. I want to create a life to give it the joys and wonders that I have had. I WANT to be altruistic. Some would say that's selfish. They're right.
Finally, just since it's the day before a holiday...
The Flat Earth Society
Making babies, eating food
Smelly things, pubic hair
Words of love, in the air
Sparks fly, shooting out
Making sure that everything is working
I can't turn you down
We are programmed happy little children
Matter over mind
We can not resist so I won't fight it"
--The Talking Heads
"The Facts of Life"
So the big news of the day (week? year?) is that Julia and I are going to be an aunt and uncle. Lyshie is four months along in her pregnancy and she told us the news last night. I loved Julia's response: "I wanted to be the first to have a kid...", like this is some sort of competition. Call it prophetic but yesterday at work, I was surfing the web on various philosophies on parenting and childrearing (I have A LOT of free time on my hands) since Jules and I are looking to start our own family in the next year and a half or so. There's a lot of interesting schools of thought out there, everywhere from the Quiverfull Movement to the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement.
Those who are "childless by choice" (L, I hope you're reading this) may not understand why couples choose to have children, or at worst, may accuse them of acting selfishly for having children. On face value, it does appear to be the case. I mean, you're creating a life to fulfill a need that you as a potential parent have. However, by this same logic, every altruistic act is also inherently selfish. Ask anyone who does regular volunteer work why they do it, and the answer you'll probably get is "I like helping others" or "I feel the need to help others" My annual trip to PFEW, through the act of helping others, satisfies my conscienous obligation to help my fellow man, and my hedonistic desire to feel good about myself. It's the same with the so-called maternal/paternal instinct that I feel brewing in my heart/penis. I want to create a life to give it the joys and wonders that I have had. I WANT to be altruistic. Some would say that's selfish. They're right.
Finally, just since it's the day before a holiday...
The Flat Earth Society