zOMG! You don't want kids?!?!??!?!
I'm so sick of being asked that as though I just announced that I've decided not to bathe ever again.
I don't want kids. Period.
I want to get married. I want to have a career in law enforcement. I want to be able to pack up and go wherever I want at a moment's notice. I want to save some money and buy a nice house. I want to be able to pursue my hobbies at whatever time I so choose. I like having my freedom. I'm quite happy having my cat and dog as my "babies."
And I'll go on to say this, specifically to a family member who isn't reading this; stop expecting me to coo over your baby as though he were a cult object. I'll be brutally honest; he's not cute. He's an ugly baby, but I'll never say that to your face because it's rude and that isn't how I was raised. I'm sick of having an infant thrust into my face every time I see you. I do not want to hold your baby. I don't think it's "precious" and "cute" when he spits up. I'm hugely phobic of vomiting or seeing others vomit and you know this.
Several years ago at my graduation party, this family member showed up with her young kids in tow, one of which was about two or three years old, and guess what? I ended up babysitting. At my own party. She dropped the kids off with me and went to socialize with the rest of the family. Now I don't mind taking care of them if I'm asked, but at my own party?! You just don't get more thoughtless or rude than that. If you didn't want to watch after them, you should have hired a babysitter or made prior arrangements. I've since dropped the issue, but I figured it'd be related enough to drop it in this post.
But I'm curious as to why everyone looks at me as though I have a dildo strapped to my forehead when I say I don't want kids. I'm not cursing every child; I don't like them, but there are some good, cool kids out there. Honestly, I'm not even so sure it's kids I dislike so much as stupid parents.
Let me clarify.
A stupid parent is one that assumes that she has no responsibility to keep her kid behaved in public. Kid throws a tantrum? Whatever, just ignore it. Permissive parenting, I call it. I'm always shocked to see parents who just let their kids act like screech owls on speed. If I tried even a fraction of the shit I've seen other kids pull, my parents would have "taken care of me." My parents were not abusive, but I promise you, after three minutes, they'd have done something to get me to behave.
I'm annoyed by stupid parents, so maybe that rubbed off on my less than stellar appreciation of children. I mean, expecting your cousin to babysit YOUR children on HER graduation party? Or letting your children scream in the store because you won't buy her the Fruit Loops she wants that she's not going to eat? Or worse, giving in and letting your child bully you into buying Fruit Loops that she won't eat? Bullshit. That's just not for me.
And you know, even if I wanted kids, I'd be scared to death of becoming "that" kind of parent. I know myself well enough; if a box of Fruit Loops would shut the howling kid up, I'd give it to them. That's an awfully shit lesson to teach them, and one that's not going to work or earn them any friends in the real world. A big fraction is just not wanting kids; another part of it is the fear of what kind of human being I would produce. I ain't that great of one myself, I can't think I'd produce one much better. You can't get Evian from stagnant pond water, so they say.
Blah. Enough bitching.