I want kids and I’ve been wrestling with the fact that I’m getting older and the US is only getting shittier. Some people my age have kids who are in middle and even high school. Over the years, I’ve also been told more than a few times that I would make a good parent. I just don’t know if I have the energy left to do a good job raising a kid while struggling against an increasingly rigged and broken system. I already got a bonus family member (not a kid) who is related to my spouse and lives with us. This has cramped my bachelor style significantly and clearly moved me into the “head of the family” stage of my life. If I’m gonna live a family life, I would like to mentor someone else to reach for the stars. In the US, you’re the odd one out if you don’t have kids. That’s a selfish reason to have them, but sometimes you just want to play on “normal” difficulty like everyone else. I grew up with a good family life and involved parents and I’d like to pass that on to someone with a few modifications based on my own experiences. I’m just gonna need some universal health care, schools where the kids don’t shoot each other, universal pre-k through college, $2/dozen eggs, etc. Also a 75% discount and an assurance that I won’t get surprised with a 2 for 1 deal would be nice.

I have two teenage boys 19/16.

A long time ago a friend of mine, who had kids way earlier than me, said this; “My kids are the best thing that has ever happened to me and also the worst.”

At the time, I was still several years from becoming a parent myself and was a bit aghast that he said it. Fast forward a few years and my boys have come into the world…

I understand what he was talking about completely.

Being a parent is one of the few things that at one moment make you feel like you’re on top of the world and in the very next instant the biggest pile of crap that has ever been in the entire history of humanity.

That’s what is called “Parenthood” and there are just some things about it a person will never be able to understand until they experience it for themselves.

Always been good with kids. As life turned out, my partner has a career taking them around the world: i’m the tagalong spise looking after the kids. We have three boys, 19, 16, 12. They are all cooler than me in various ways and I have given them all so much more than my parents gave me: emotionally, materially, the lot. They are more open minded, more reasonable, better equipped for life, more stable, more secure… I have them a lot, “sacrificed” quite a bit, time wise, career wise, and soon they’re all gone creating their own lives while i’ll be following my partner around, trying to patch together a new meaning of this existence.

For a man, it’s been an unusual journey. But worth it.

I have kids.

It was obviously a difficult decision when not knowing what it would be like, but I think the key for me was that it’s the kind of experience that you can only fully grasp by going through with it. I just had to YOLO it.

No regrets. Not only did I get to be part of their lives, but it also changed me in ways that I would never have thought possible otherwise. I learned a lot.

It’s hard work and expensive, but I don’t think I’ve missed out of anything that I could’ve had or done if I hadn’t had kids. I suppose I’m very privileged in the sense that they haven’t been a hinderance in any regard. It’s not really a choice between being able to do something or not. It’s more about having these tiny companions along when you decide do it anyway.

My advice is you’re on the fence about kids, don’t adopt.

We adopted because we thought “we’re actually pretty good at this, and hey, there are kids out there who desperately need a family”.

Let me tell you, it is so much harder, for so many reasons. I can’t even fully express it, it’s so much harder.

Yes, I would very much like that. I’ve always had the vague feeling that I do and enjoyed being with and around children, but started thinking about it more when I was together with my now-ex since we were discussing future plans.

Children are joy, discovery, love, and they are the future. I expect it might be both the most difficult but also rewarding venture one can set out on.

I have 3 little goblins. 13yo boy, twin 11yo girls.

I love being dad. It’s been hard. It’s been miserable. It has made me grow into a better person. It has made me more tolerant and loving and caring and understanding. It’s been absolutely joyous and fun too.

One has been my sous chef and I’ve loved teaching her all about cooking. It started when she was probably 6, I’d let her help make dinner by stirring a bowl of ingredients or something easy. Now she makes entire multi course dinners on her own, at 11.

One is my snuggler and talker and just a chill sweet calm and kind soul. She loves stuffed animals and does tap jazz ballet pop dance.

One is our “animal whisperer” and has a magical presence around animals that somehow can get them to do what she wants. Maybe because she is semi-feral herself the animals understand her on a deep spiritual level.

One is an artist. He got into pencil sketches a year or so ago and has really spent a lot of time practicing and learning techniques and figuring out his unique style. He draws cute characters and dragons and video game characters and I am so impressed by it all.

Two of them love camping and being outdoors like me.

All 3 love video games and reading and being outside like me. All 3 love laughing and being silly and jokes and memes. All 3 love animals and love our pet cats.

I can’t even imagine not being a dad.

However, and I can’t stress this enough, parenting isn’t for everyone. And that’s ok! If being a parent doesn’t feel like the thing for you, then don’t do it! And don’t feel guilty for that decision either. Some people have kids, some are the close aunty/unc, some have nothing to do with raising kids and all of that is fine. Don’t let society or family pressure you to do something if you know it isn’t for you. Society isn’t going to be there at 3am when your newborn cries.

But for me, I love it, can’t imagine not being dad. Love teaching them things, love watching them grow and learn, love seeing their unique personalities and styles develop, love who they are becoming, love being a part of that.

Fuck no hahahaa

I was raised to believe it was just part of the American dream, 2.5 kids, house, etc, and my parents had me super young(16/f and 19/m). So when I got my girlfriend pregnant at 21, I was overjoyed.

In hindsight I wish I could’ve waited maybe 4 years before making the attempt, that would’ve made things tremendously easier.

That said my kids are wonderful, especially my youngest who is quickly becoming a responsible guy, driving and about to interview for his first job at 18 and looking to get into medical school as his career path.

My oldest sadly has a lot of trouble with narcolepsy and autism that hinder him in a lot of ways, I’m trying to support him the best I can to get him to be self sustaining, but I don’t know when that will happen.

I don’t think I’ll end up with grandkids, but honestly I’m just happy to see my kids succeed. After 2 kids though I knew I was done having more, and now that’s impossible with my wife getting a hysterectomy.

I feel too young to have kids at the moment despite being in my early 20s.

Even with my age out the way, I’m not sure I feel the best mentally to take care of kids on a daily basis. It would feel unfair to the children and last thing I want to do is lash out at them.

I’ve always wanted the family that I didn’t get growing up. One that loved and supported each other. I want to be the best Dad. someone who always makes time for his children, someone who is relentlessly supportive and empathetic. And perhaps most crucially, I want to mold my children with all the right movies and music so that they’ll grow up to be cool af.

The dread of climate change, and the financial aspect of having kids is a real burden on me mentally… But, if you’re gonna have kids, then you have to at least have hope that the future will get better… and, I dunno. a part of me thinks it really will. I just have trouble holding onto that part sometimes.

Not a parent, nor do I want kids. I have turned into a bit of a grump because I think they’re annoying. That’s basically it. They’re loud and sometimes get in your way, as I’ve seen plenty of times the kids at the apartment complex I live in do. At least the kids here are respectful enough not to mess with us adults living here, so I’m lucky.

But if anyone else wants kids, I don’t really care because that’s their problem.

I was never a family person, nor want children. Got a daughter by “accident” (yes, I am stupid). Liked it to be a father, and got three boys in a row (not an accident).

How I like it? Well sometimes its hard, holidays for example aren’t holidays, it’s when I am full time available for my kids, going to work is nothing against this. And trouble number two is: we live in a country that hates children, but most of the time I play with these situations like: “kids are allowed to be loud”, etc.

I’m nervous about the world we left for them. Should I train them for Mad Max / Terminator - scenarios or simply told them that this planet is fucked and we are all doomed especially their gen? /s

My first is due in October, and we’re so looking forward to it.

This might be an uncommon thing to want, but I’m looking forward to the random questions that young kids have.

My wife and I each brought a few, so we’re at 5 total.

Two in high school, two in college, and one just graduated.

Everyone says it because it’s true. It goes really fast.