I like kids. Almost all the jobs I took when I was younger involved them: babysitter, tutor, camp counselor, etc. But being totally responsible for another human being? Even over a couple days it's exhausting, and that's without all the Imparting of Morals, and making of Important Decisions.
I need some friends and relatives to start breeding, so I can be Cool Uncle Mandark, and start reaping the emotional rewards without all of the toil and fuss and potential heartbreak.
I'm kind of in the same boat. I don't hate kids. Kids can be really fun, but for some reason most kids don't really seem to like me. I never really know what to say or do with kids... I guess I sorta have a hard time relating to most children because when I was a kid I was always super-mature and trying to act like an adult all of the time.
Some people can just start up a conversation with a kid and talk for hours. After I say "Hi" and "Aren't you cute?" I start running out of things to say.
Another thing I've learned is that you can be the best parent in the world and your child can still turn out down the wrong path. I mean, I just have to look at my family. My sister and I were brought up exactly the same way, and we are like night and day. I mean, any parent will tell you that each of their kids is different -- that's because people just
are the way they are. In the end, parenting only plays a small part, you can be the best parent in the world and your child still grows up to be a pedophile or a serial rapist. I know I'd be a good parent. But you can NEVER predict how your kids are going to turn out.
I like just enjoying my relatives' children -- you still feel a strong bond to them, and you can play with them and watch them grow up and be the awesome aunt/uncle they totally love -- but at the end of the day, you still get to go home and do what you want.
