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Most SELFISH reason for having kids...

Many people say that those who opt to go the child-free route are displaying selfishness of the worst kind. Actually, I'd probably reserve that designation for those individuals who say that their main reason for having kids is to have someone there to take care of them when they get old.

There are a host of noble reasons for having children, among them:

  • Having a purpose in life beyond oneeself
  • Loving one's own child selflessly
  • Creating something that's a piece of you and of your partner
  • Having an excuse to play with Barbie dolls and/or toy cars again
  • Having someone to pass on ideas, lessons, and possessions to
  • And the list goes on...
Alas, two of my friends (both men) mentioned having a caretaker in old age as their primary reason for wanting to have kids. I don't know about you, but this irritates me immensely!

For starters, who's to say that your kids will be there to take care of you once you get old? Have you not seen how many nursing homes are replete with senior citizens whose children never bother to pay them a visit? 

For all you know, your kids could be living overseas, dead, or too tied up with their careers or other personal affairs to remember you exist. Now, I'm not trying to sound cynical here. I'm sure most people would do the right thing and show a genuine interest in their parents' well-being. But, like anything else in life, there are just no guarantees. You might have kids and the outcome might be just the same as if you'd remained child-free. 

No one really knows how their kids will turn out. Some might be sweet, tender, and loving through adolescence but change radically while in and after leaving college. Our experiences in life -- as well as the people we meet along the way -- all contribute to our constant evolution as human beings. .

I just find it irksome when people regard the child-free as selfish considering that many people who want to have children may have their own ulterior motives for doing so. 

What's your view on this topic? Do you agree that people who want to have children just so that they have someone to take care of them are being utterly selfish? 

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