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Originally Posted by Ponyup
Thanks pope. I'm not saying I don't want a child because I've always wanted children. But I have to think about what kind of life this child will have in the current society. Society has changed so much since I was a child (I am 28). In fact it has changed so much since I graduated from college 6 years ago. I just can't help, but remember the issues I went through & how they have been compounded in the last 10 years by the downslide of our society. I can't know what world we will be living in in 10 years 20 years, but if the current state is of any indication it will be bad. How can I bring something I love more than anything into a world that could be miserable & full of fear & pain. I've searched & asked for a better reason to procreate than the fact I really want to or society expects me too. This one choice will affect the life completely of another human being. It's an extremely hard decision in the current state of affairs.
I am young & i have 5-7 years to make this decision. It's just hard. I know I would love a child & give the best life I possibly could, but would that be enough..........
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Yes, things have changed a lot in our society and it is a cause for concern. My kids are not a part of the problem though. My husband and I put a lot of time and effort raising our children and I can honestly say that my children are a benefit to our society. They are all hard-working, honest Christian people. I've never had a problem with any of them drinking or doing drugs. They've never spent the night in jail and never been on welfare.
We've learned to have our fun in simple ways and boy, do we enjoy having fun! My family in turn shares what we have with other less fortunate children, often taking friends with them on trips or we invite them to be a part of the fun that we're having, swimming, ice skating, or sledding. Several of members of my family have teach classes in our church that work with children that don't have much of a homelife and, yes, sometimes we do make a difference.
Do I worry about the future and how it will affect my family? Yes, I do, but I also like to think that my family affects the little piece of the world that surrounds them.
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Originally Posted by Ponyup
...........A lot of the people in my parents generation wanted to have children to give them a better life than they had. I'm not sure a better life exists anymore.
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What's a better life? Having so many "things" that we don't appreciate what we have? Sometimes we have to step back and look at what we "really" want to give our children. Here's what I want my children to have.......
1. First and foremost, a relationship with God. What is life if you don't have God in it?
2. I want my children to know how much their parents love them. I tell them all the time and I try to show them.
3. I want them to know that hard work pays. When you work hard for the money that you've earned then you take care of what you have because YOU worked for it. I don't want them to expect Mom and Dad to pay their way. We help out occassionally but we've taught them to work hard and pay their own way.
4. I want my children to make good choices in life. We tried to teach them that you reap what you sow with your choices. You want to have credit card debt then it's up to you to pay it off. You want to drive too fast then you pay for the higher insurance. Good choices, just like bad choices reap their benefits too.
5. I want my children to know that they don't have to do or have what "everyone else" has or does. I want them to be able to step away from a crowd and say no.
6. I want my children to be able to have good clean fun. Sometimes we play as hard as we work!!! We always have fun that even the little kids can be a part of.
I've got a little girl that I'm babysitting today that just got here. I'm sorry that this is so long. If I think of more I'll add it later. I hope that I've given you a different point of view. Love ya'--Diana