Do you have (or want to have) kids?

I have one child, and she's the world to me. If I could afford more children I'd probably have at least one more, but I can't. Still, she's great and I'm very happy.

No kids yet. My wife wants two, which is fine with me, but hopefully not until we can afford a house. I really don't want to raise children in an apartment. Of course with housing prices in LA being what they are, I may not be able to afford a home until sometime after the next apocalypse.

I have one 8-year-old daughter. She's great. That's all I need.

I'd rather have cancer than a kid. You sometimes recover from cancer.

The wife and I are currently childless, but are considering a one-and-done scenario in the next couple of years.

My family has a frightening number of twins appearing in the tree, though.

Same here. We're working on it, and since my mother was a twin, supposedly my critters might be twins.

I've got a 20 month old boy and love him dearly. He's also a handful.

My wife and I would love to have a girl too but since we are afraid we might have another boy, I think the baby making days are done. But you never can tell.. we are still young too. We'll see in a couple years if my wife's views change.

oh and yeah daycare costs a fortune.

I never want to get married or have kids or any of that, but shit happens. Sometimes you make mistakes.

You don't go bald nearly as quickly, though.

I have one daughter. She wasn't planned but we were stable enough financially and in our relationship that it wasn't something we were preventing either.

She's the best. I can't really imagine life without her and I'm much happier with her in my life. I miss the free time and not having to be responsible for raising a human being but when she's not around for extended periods of time I get bored and miss her to death.

I can certainly respect those who don't ever want to have kids and actually applaud them. Unfortunately it seems to be the intelligent folk who decide not to have them while those missing a number of brain cells decide to make breeding a full time job.

Both my wife and I are undecided about having a 2nd. One's a handful and we both like what free time we do get (especially my wife). Having another would all but eliminate that entirely. For quite some time at least. On the other hand, the longer we wait, the longer some kid will be hanging around my house.

Also, who wouldn't want to see a face like this everyday (couldn't resist posting a pic, sorry):



...and on behalf the of world: Thank you, Slater.

I'm too cynical for kids. I enjoy what little money I do have, I have gobs of free time to pursue other interests, I can pack up at a moment's notice and nor does any woman have potential ammo in the gun of the ridiculous divorce/child support insanity that is the US Justice System.

But god dammit, if I don't feel like I should be the one breeding. Can we start handing out licenses? We give them to people to operate cars, why not to be in charge of a new human life?!

My parents have a darling 338 month old.

I have two, a boy and girl.

And yes, sometimes, just sometimes, you want pull a Gollum and just leave and never come back, but those felleings occur with any relationship you may have.

I love my kids dearly, and got the best when I got one of each. We had them tubes tied, and it's smooth sailing now.

Except for daycare expense, crying tantrums, potty training shitty pants, "daddy daddy daddy daddydaddydaddy", no free time, and boom goes the dynamite.

No doubt. Or at least start giving tax cuts and benefits for those who decide NOT to have kids or for those who opt to have an abortion or give a child up for adoption.

You do if the baby EATS HAIR.

I have one daughter. Not even two and a half and she already knows what zombies are. That's my girl.

My wife and I are on the fence - we've said we'd like to have 1-2 kids, but since I just hit 40, and my wife 38, we're hitting put up or shut up time soon.

Wouldn't mind having a littler version of myself runnin' around though.

Nope - never had 'em, and sure don't ever want 'em. I'm 43, and I made that decision when I was 15, and never regretted it or wavered on it. It was one of two decisions I made as a kid that I wound up sticking with well into adulthood - the other being my decision at age 12 that I was absolutely moving to NY when I grew up (didn't happen till I was 25. I was chomping at the bit for 13 years).

Actually, for a decision made at a young age, I didn't take it lightly - I got a real taste of being a mother. My oldest niece was 10 mos. old at the time, and after my freshman year of high school, I moved in with my brother and his wife for that summer so that they could both return to work. So I wasn't just "babysitting" that summer - due to their work hours, I was "Mommy" for that whole time. I was up with her in the morning, putting her down at night, responsible for every bite she ate and crap she took for every hour in between. If she was crying, I had to figure out why - dirty diaper? Hungry? Tired? Sick? It was all my responsibility.

Plus, at my high school, girls were getting pregnant left and right. So before school ended that year, two girls in my class were both getting ready to give birth over the summer. They were both in their eighth and ninth months when school ended. And I can remember the exact moment, clearly, that I decided I was never having kids. I was stuck in the house while my niece was down for a nap. I was exhausted, I had to clean up the house from the general mess that comes with a baby, and I couldn't even step out for some fresh air till she woke up. I remember just zoning out with "General Hospital" on the TV, just barely taking it in, and I thought of my two classmates. And I thought - "This is what Pam and Sara have to look forward to for the rest of their lives." And that was it - done. I made the decision right then and there, and never backed down. All during my 20s and 30s when people would smile indulgently and tell me, "You'll change your mind. All women want babies", I just had to smile politely and say, "Actually, no, I won't, because I got a sampling of it when my niece was a baby." The upshot of it for me is, every kid should have parents that absolutely want it - it must be horrible to be a little kid and just feel total resentment from your own mother. It's just not for me.

Do you live in an area where the dead have spontaneously come to life?

No kids for me, thanks. I'm more than content with the fact that I don't have to support any fussy, screamin' poop machines.

There needs to be a Chewer breeder movement to counteract loonies like the Duggars.

I'd honestly rather not, but my girlfriend would really like some in the future.

I was attacked by babies. True story.

details plz

Stick by your guns. It ain't a decision to be made lightly, it's at least an 18 year sentence.

Nice try, Gene Failure, but there's no baby that hungry.

I'm much too selfish to have a kid.

( ._.)

I've got a 19 month-old boy. He can be a real drain on us emotionally, but I love the little guy. If there is anything that can help curb an overabundance of cynicism and selfishness, it's becoming a parent. I never get to go out anymore, most of my movie watching is done on DVD with the volume turned down after the kid goes to bed, and our house never seems to stay clean. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. The kid is so much fun and he swings a toy lightsaber like a pro.

Edited to add: We'll probably wait another year and try for another one. After that, who knows? My wife wants to stop at 2; I wouldn't mind 3 or 4.

We have one child, a son who is soon to be twelve. We had considered two kids, but my wife nearly died in delivery, so one it was. I can't imagine my life without him. Experiencing his take on the world is amazing. He reads at a college freshman level and has been doing algebra since he was nine. (I failed college algebra 3 times...) I respect everyone that doesn't want kids, since I see a lot of kids at our school that weren't wanted, but for me, becoming a Dad was a life-making event.

Did s/he eat your hair?

My wife and I have one child. He's an adorable little boy, just turned one in late June. All my life, I thought I'd bea terrible parent, and never wanted kids. Eventually - and I'm still not sure why - I changed my mind and we took the plunge. My wife has some ovarian problems, so we thought we'd have to try for a long time, and maybe even do the whole in vitro thing. But she got pregnant almost as oon as we started [Insert Tim Allen style grunts here].

Anyway, he's a delightful, happy little boy. We were truly blessed w/ having such an even temperes child. He's even good when we eat out and such, so I don't feel like we're really missing out on anything. And the grandmas are really good about taking him for awhile (my momis watching him for 2 weeks while the wife & I go to Alaska on the 15th).

Most surprising of all, though, is how well I've taken to being a dad. I love the lil' bugger. Miss him while I'm at work, the whole bit. Can't wait 'til he's old enough to go hiking, or to comicons w/ me. And I'm looking forward to the day when I can say: "Son, this is a little movie called "Dawn of the Dead." Or introduce him to the wonder that is hot and spicy food.

I definitely DON'T want any more, though. I hear from too many people who have "good" 1st kids that the 2d ones are holy terrors. And I never want them to outnumber me. The pregnancy was also very rough on my wife (she had pre-eclampsia; her blood pressure was at levels I would not have thought possible while she was in labor), and her doctors strongly recommended against THIS one, let alone another.

Aw, I can't stay mad at that forehead! C'mere, you!

'Forehead'?...I thought that was Diva's ass.

Diva's ass goes beyond what one can do with a keyboard. Not even Millette would do it.

I wouldn't mind having 3 or 4, but I'm frequently reminded that "it's a uterus, not a clown car" so nothing is written in stone just yet. Plus I really want a Corvette and a cigarette boat.

Couldn't have said it better. Even though she's a girl and her mother likes rom-coms and bad telelvision, I hope I can raise her right. Honestly, I really don't care if she's like her mom through and through (girly-girl)- I just hope she has the same or similar taste in film.

When exactly are they old enough to sit through The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Jackie Brown or The Big Lebowski?

I think I look forward to a life of selfishness way too much to have kids.

After working with kids for the past eight months I can say that I don't want any. However... if an accident were to happen I could only pray to God that it would be a girl. That way the mom can deal with her and do the girly things. If it was a boy I'd have to play catch and football (whatever that is) with him. And being Canadian he'd probably take an interest in hockey. Since I can't skate, I'd be a terrible father. Plus if I had a daughter I could terrorize her boyfriends... if I had a son I'd probably try and have sex with his girlfriends.... which I guess is a plus.

I'll add that watching television is a completely new experience.

It seems that all we watch is Noggin and Disney and at night we watch Noggin on Demand.

The only tolerable kids shows are Jack's Big Music Show and surprisingly Blue's Clues. And I"m overly excited for Yo Gabba Gabba in late August.

My wife and I have been together for seven years and ever since our first date we knew the other didn't want to have kids. Knowing that things change we had an agreement to tell the other if there's been an urge. Everything was all well and good until this past New Years when she said "well, maybe...". THAT has been taking a little to get use to. I'm coming around now and there are days when I think it would be fun raising a little geek, watching Blue Thunder when mom is away and teaching him/her about all the cool bugs in the backyard. The next year or so should be interesting in terms of what we decide.

I just found this thread, and I'm watching A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child right now, go figure.

I'd like to have 1 or 2 kids someday, if the first is a boy, then that'll be enough for me.

There's such a pressure to have kids, everyone in my family has them now. I see it more as a big package thing. Financial security plus a really, really great wife, could maybe some day then lead to the pitter patter of responsibility.

I will pass on a bit of wisdom: for those of you whose significant others have contracted Baby Fever, there is a cure...

Eraserhead.

My daughter's at the age now where I can start introducing her to the cool stuff. And she's hooked on FUTURAMA big time right now, begs and pleads to stay up till 10 to watch it on Adult Swim.

I suspect the finest gift I would ever be capable of bestowing on the human race would be not to father children.

I'm with you on that. Noggin is a staple at our house, especially Jack's Big Music Show (which is actually pretty cool for kids) and Blue's Clues. My boy gets a kick out of Wonder Pets too. Where do you get Noggin on Demand? I have Dish Network and I don't think I can get it. Noggin's website is great for when I want to keep the kid entertained while I mess around on Chud. It feels a little weird, though, to have my son watching a Blue's Clues video on one window while I'm reading a thread about Diva' ass in another.

For parents with kids under 2 years old: If you want your baby to learn to talk, don't pop in the educational videos!

I went so far as to post a thread for JBMS in the Television forums awhile back. Sad, really, but it is an enjoyable show if you have kids. I also enjoy The Backyardigans, Blue's Clues and even Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Kids.

I have SuddenLink/Charter and we have access to Noggin' on demand. Same thing. Noggin during the day, noggin on demand in the evening. It beats having commerical TV running (though no TV running would probably be preferable).

I have no desire to have my own children, but I love kids. I have a pretty tight knit group of friends, and some of the couples from that group are having kids now (oldest at 3 yrs - youngest at 7 months). It's nice to be able to hang out and play around with them, and once they start crying or getting irritable, it's out of my hands and it's the parents' problem to deal with.

I'll be very happy remaining an uncle to my brother's kids, and the children that my friends have. Plus, when they get older, they'll hate their parents, but I'll be the cool uncle that takes them to good movies and gets them cool & expensive presents that my childless lifestyle allows me to afford! Kind of a part time parent without any of that annoying responsibility...