It's appalling to see so many reports in the news of parents leaving their babies in their cars. How in the world do you forget to get your own kid? In the most heartbreaking cases, the kids are left in cars so hot that they end up dying. Parents who do this should undoubtedly be charged for murder and remain behind bars for the rest of their lives. Such utter carelessness is unacceptable. If people are not ready to shoulder the immense responsibilities of parenthood, they should not have children. I am on the fence about having kids, but I know that should I choose to become a father, I will never let my child out of my sight. A child is not a sweater, wallet, or some other object that you can get away with accidentally leaving behind. Such a careless mistake places the child's safety -- and life -- in grave danger. Not only might heat, a lack of oxygen, and no access to food adversely affect the child, but someone might break into the car and kidnap the infant...

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 ar...