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...

As I've stated in other posts, when it comes to the question of whether or not to have kids, I'm still on the fence. While I have moments where I envision myself being a good dad to a little girl, the realities of parenthood -- loss of sleep and freedom among them -- are rather off-putting. I've noticed that ever since my best friend and many of my family members had kids, my relationships with them haven't been the same. That's understandable considering the extent to which children change one's life and how much of your time they take up. However, I can't help but feel a smidgen of jealousy that the kids have "stolen" these people from my life. Not only does my friend have two kids, but he moved nearly 6 hours away from me for a job opportunity. I've noticed that when my friend gets time away from his family and is able to call me, he lets loose like he used to back in his pre-marriage/pre-fatherhood days.(When his family is around, he ...