Growing up, I loved the tv show, The Waltons. I also enjoyed other big family shows like the Brady Bunch and 7th Heaven, but The Waltons was my fave. (And yes, my current fave is Jon & Kate plus 8 on TLC)No, I don't actually want 8 children, but three or four would be nice. Here's my reasoning.
First and most importantly, I like kids. They find joy in life’s simplest pleasures and inspire me to be a better person if not for mine but their sake. Secondly, I’m playing the odds. Chances are one or more of my kids could be gay (love it!) or antisocial (knowing me unlikely) or handicapped (God forbid) or just not interested in procreating themselves (whatev). I’d like at least one of them to go on to give me grandbabies. Third, children are the best insurance policy. I’ve always thought that since I’m not banking on Social Security I should bank on babies (The Waltons got through the Depression just fine without government assistance). I was kind of embarrassed to admit this economic rationale for procreation until I read this lovely blogpost at the Economist:
Traditionally, people had more children because they provided free labour or another source of income. Things are not so dire that upper middle class families will send their children to work anytime soon, but grown children can take care of you in your old age. If you’re unable to provide adequate retirement income you might want to have children and invest in their human capital.Of course, I need a good man first. ;)
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3 comments:
And Fourth, having children and raising them well is the best way to change the world. What better way to have an impact than to teach 4 people to think rationally and behave well?
4 is better than three. If you have just three, then someone has to sit across from no one every time you go out to dinner.
Very good addition to my list - Thanks Charissa!
What if the person you end up marrying already has one? How does that figure into your numbers? ;-)
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