May 9, 2008 | In the News
When I read this article about the Duggar family, the first thought that came to mind was: EPIDURAL! STAT!
Right around the time my older sister had her first child, I realized that I didn’t want kids. I have no patience for them, I’m too selfish with my time and all I hear about today is the high cost of childcare..and medical care. I. Don’t. Want. It. I babysat, of course. I believe it’s a requirement for young girls now, isn’t it? And I babysat my niece and nephew, of course. Because they’re family. Even though they were cute as hell (and have grown into good looking teens at 14 and 18, respectively) back then, I happily babysat with the knowledge that I could give them back. I didn’t hold them until they could hold up their own heads.
When I started going out with my hubby, and when we knew we were committed to one another, I told him straight-up that I didn’t want kids. “If you want kids, then we better end this now,” is what I said. Or something along those lines. People were always saying “Oh, you’ll change your mind” or “Oh, it’s different when you have your own” or “I felt the same way as you until I had my first child.”
I’ve heard that so many times I want to puke. “Am I talking out of my ass here?” I want to yell. “What part of ‘We don’t want kids’ don’t you understand?” There are people out there that are having 5 or 6 kids and can’t take care of them. There are people out there killing their babies because “God told them to do it” or “They wouldn’t stop crying” or “I was going thru post-partum depression” or –my personal favorite–”I was so busy I left them in the car.”
I AM NOT MATERNAL. I freely, and proudly, admit it. My Mom and my sister got the instinct. Me and my Aunt did not.
I don’t want to deal with childcare, medical care, braces, college, the constant worry, complications, early morning feedings, lack of sleep, etc. I want to travel “freely about the country” at a moments notice. I want quiet time to read. I need quiet time to write (because seriously? When I’m in Writing Mode, I don’t even see the hubby on a regular basis. If I had kids, CPS would be knockin’ on my door). I yell at my cat when she gets mouthy, I can’t imagine how I would be with an actual child.
So when I read this article, and found out that this woman has been pregnant for 11 yrs of her life, my va jay-jay seized up and shuddered. For about 5 minutes. My Mom just had the two of us and she can still look at me and start to call me by sister’s name before she corrects herself. Can you imagine what it must be like for this woman? And all her kids names start with J!
I’d be all “Ja-Ji-Jo–YOU, off to your room.”
I give her props for having all those kids and another on the way. Really, I do. Having two baseball or football teams worth of kids is great for some people.
I just can’t ever imagine having just one.
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The Bleeding Rose says:
Ha. I read that too . . . I feel the same way you do . . . my mom says I’ll change my mind because I’m 15, but I don’t think so. Ha.
That’s not Cheaper by the Dozen . . . that’s more like Yours Mine & Ours . . . gaaaaaah
Peace