If You Could Do Everything at Once, Would You Have Children?
When I was on the other day I saw this post on To Reddit , I nearly flashed past him. It was titled “Parents: What Do You Really Think About Children?” Will you still have them after everything you’ve been through? “But I stopped. I knew that there would be many words: ” Education is so difficult, but I would never change my children!” answers, but surely some of them regretted. Out of curiosity, I pressed the button.
The post was from Reddit user u / Olivesucks, who was always planning on having kids with her husband. But now they are rethinking this choice: “I know that there are positive and negative sides to everything, but taking into account your present reason and experience: would you go back in time and” cancel “participation in having children?”
While there were many expected responses “my child (s) is the best thing that ever happened to me,” there were also a few that would revoke their paternity if they could. A couple of parents who said they wouldn’t do it again because of how radically their lives were taken over, of course, as well as one of the parents, u / Shoonasasi, whose child suffers from mental illness and brain disorders:
Without help, he will either go to jail or die, and it is very heartbreaking to realize that he has no chance unless we win the lottery or sign our rights and hand him over to the government.
If I could go back in time, I would not have him, if only in order to save him from the life that he is forced to live now.
And then came the answer from u / dieomama (and supported by others), who said that today they will choose differently – not because of their parenting experience, but because of what we leave to our children:
From the facts, there is a high likelihood that the climate crisis will make their life miserable before they reach 30. I regret that I was not better informed at the time when I had the child. If I informed myself correctly, I would abstain from someone in this world.
I can still hope for the best. Climate models aren’t 100% accurate, but things aren’t going well in the future. I am a scientist by training and science seems solid.
Raising children or not is a personal decision, and whether there is reason for regret is also personal and situational. Satisfaction or regret can be related to the quality of our lives, the quality of life of our children, or what we think will be in store for them in the future.
Tell us: if you had a child (s) and you could go back and do it over and over again – would you?