I've decided that parents themselves are the worst advertisements for
parenthood.
At work I am bombarded with hard luck stories about how hard it is. I'm not
talking about the occasional bitchfest, which we all need. I mean people who
weren't thrilled with the idea to begin with, yet they MUST have a child, and
they keep having them even though they appear to be miserable. I also don't get
the whining, considering raising a child has never been easier, at least in
terms of sheer labor and perks. I'm not talking about the pressure to keep up
with the Joneses or to be the Perfect Mommy who gives a kid the Perfect
Childhood, because these idiocies are self-inflicted.
The tax breaks, the perks, the parental leave, the labor-saving devices have
never been more prevalent. My mom worked, and she and Dad shared one car between
them, when seatbelts and child seats hadn't been invented yet. They had no
Diaper Genie, no dishwasher, no Lunchables, no disposable diapers, no microwave.
Yet my mom still had a life. She had friends; she and my dad had cocktail
parties where children were not allowed, and I lived through it with my
self-esteem intact. She was still an incredible and interesting person despite
having kids.
However … if you call one of these parental whiners on it, i.e. ask them why
they had kids if they are so miserable, the claws come out! You will get blasted
into oblivion. "Oh, but you have to do it. It's what life is about. We wouldn't
live any other way." I browsed the TTC thread on TPF. Yikes. And they think
WE are the selfish ones.
Hah.
I want no part of their drama.
Sharona
parenthood.
At work I am bombarded with hard luck stories about how hard it is. I'm not
talking about the occasional bitchfest, which we all need. I mean people who
weren't thrilled with the idea to begin with, yet they MUST have a child, and
they keep having them even though they appear to be miserable. I also don't get
the whining, considering raising a child has never been easier, at least in
terms of sheer labor and perks. I'm not talking about the pressure to keep up
with the Joneses or to be the Perfect Mommy who gives a kid the Perfect
Childhood, because these idiocies are self-inflicted.
The tax breaks, the perks, the parental leave, the labor-saving devices have
never been more prevalent. My mom worked, and she and Dad shared one car between
them, when seatbelts and child seats hadn't been invented yet. They had no
Diaper Genie, no dishwasher, no Lunchables, no disposable diapers, no microwave.
Yet my mom still had a life. She had friends; she and my dad had cocktail
parties where children were not allowed, and I lived through it with my
self-esteem intact. She was still an incredible and interesting person despite
having kids.
However … if you call one of these parental whiners on it, i.e. ask them why
they had kids if they are so miserable, the claws come out! You will get blasted
into oblivion. "Oh, but you have to do it. It's what life is about. We wouldn't
live any other way." I browsed the TTC thread on TPF. Yikes. And they think
WE are the selfish ones.
Hah.
I want no part of their drama.
Sharona