Lol. I used to think that until I had one. Now, it really is the best thing I've ever done.

Sometimes, that said there are a lot of awesome experiences being a parent.

based on managers at my previous job...if you had no kids...i mean you could have a vacation timeshare in hawaii, an exotic car, a boat and a few motorcycles in lieu of kids...but why aimirite :badpokerface:

I'm a parent :okay:

seriously though, this scene sums up being a parent

It's kinda like owning an Alfa Romeo Guilia Quadrifoglio - when it's working it's soooo good but it can be a real PITA sometimes and really costly to keep running.

Lol

I mean I think it literally changes your brain chemistry.

Like before having a kid, I'd see babies and be like "yep, it's a baby, big deal" and other people would be gushing all over it. I was pretty indifferent.

After having a kid, I'm one of those idiots all gushing over seeing a newborn. And I just can't help it. Don't even get me started about seeing a little human start to mould into your likeness and do the things you like to do.

:inout:

Being a parent is the best thing in the world. Everyone has their own opinion but when I hold and kiss my son, no matter what's happening in the world, it makes my day. He's 5 and I love this little human more than anything imaginable

I say the same thing about my dog. He's always at the top of the stairs waiting for me to get home from work.
When you look into those puppy dog eyes, all troubles melt away.

And when we go for walks and you see that smile on his face, it's all worth it.

^ but kids you can eventually toilet train and don't have to pick up poop .. :lol.

my wife wants a kid...i used to but not anymore

i'm far more inclined to get a dog

^ have one of each .. marriage is about compromise.

I don't think having a kid to make your wife happy is a recipe for a long lasting relationship.

How to solve your emotional/financial problems in a relationship? Have a child! lol

See so many dead beats fall into this to prolong a relationship a few months now you’ve got a kid to drag around in your misery lol..

Honestly never once in my entire life have I ever even considered wanting a child. Should probably just go get a vasectomy.

If your wife wants a kid and you don't ...that also does not go well for a long lasting relationship. So ... make your choice. Something or someone will have to give. Or, maybe this should have been thoroughly discussed and agreed upon before you put a ring on it.

Yeah I agree with the part about how you should already have had that conversation before getting married, because having a kid isn't something you should do unless you both want it.

Seeing my coworkers sleep deprived and seeing kids lose their shit in public makes me never want to have kids. But good on you parents. Obviously it means I'm not ready for them.

What? I have to pick up his poop?

Actually my dog is pretty well trained. he only poops when my wife walks him.

Not sure if your dog is well trained, or you wife as well :lol

I think for me the biggest thing is the commitment. We can be out at a bar with friends and I can tell the people with kids are antsy because of their baby sitter, parents watching the kids etc. texting back and forth with them, worried about the kid, worried about the following day getting them to daycare/school etc.

Then there’s me sitting across from them downing beers thinking maybe I should hop on a plane somewhere and it wouldn’t matter whether I went home for the next 10 days or not KEKW

Having your parents live with you -- this really isn't a western concept.

I notice with my brown and asian friends, that's a regular concept, everyone lives together within a household, pooling their resources.

In western culture we've had that concept of "Once the kid hits 19, get them the fuck out". Fair enough, but that concept has become a double edged sword. As a parent you get the freedom of having your household and unburden yourself, on the adverse however, that same child will likely not have the capacity to take care of you or have you live with them once older.

I have brown and asian friends that live with their folks into their late 20s, even early 30s, they've saved money, they've had their adult lives living with their family in that environment.

You ask someone who moved out @ 20 or 21 to have their parent or parents live with them in their 60's or 70's :lol

Good luck.

You definitely have to become more selfless to have kids. You totally have to put your kids before yourself (good parents do at least). If one is incapable of doing that, then it's understandable why they wouldn't see having kids as appealing.

Your priorities change too. I did a bunch of travelling through my 20's and early 30's. I don't really have any desire to jet off anywhere anymore, it's why I have a boat & trailer.

It's definitely a huge change in lifestyle - I remember a friend who had a good cry with me about how much she missed her old life of going out with friends and it wasn't b/c she didn't love her kid. I'm in the phase where I'm too sleep deprived to accept any invites from my friends who want to go for late night food - I'm dead by 10:30 every day.

Being a parent is sooooooo much harder than I expected - way harder than any job I ever had. OTOH, it's been the most rewarding thing I've ever done, my kid makes me so happy and I'm a total sucker for whatever she wants.

Hanging out with my parent friends takes way more effort and planning vs my friends without kids. Parent friends need like a week in advance for sitters and night usually ends early. Friends with no kids, 1 hour notice and can meetup, Vancouver flakes aside lol.

Watching one of my friends age literally 10 years in the span of 2 from having a child has seriously turned me off the idea :lol