Study: Joys of Parenthood are Exaggerated

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BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,304
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I used to say, "I wouldn't give a dime to have another child, but I wouldn't take a million dollars for the ones I have."

Nowadays, I think I was wrong...I shoulda taken the cash. :p


Grand children are also highly over-rated...they have WAY too much energy for us "older adults" to deal with...and the little shits always want to play on my lawn. :mad:
 

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
29,391
2,738
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Nah...to each their own...

I cal recall being younger and not having kids and having life by the ass....thinking when co-workers talked about their lives and how busy they were...laughing...being single...or a girlfriend...no cares

The transition was weird (for me at least)....

have 1 and your life turns upside down
have 2 and you think your life was so easy with 1
have 3 and you think WTF am I doing...

95% of the time you are stressed or running...
5% of the time you TOTALLY enjoy life (man vacation, boys night out)...

I would honestly say I wouldn't trade that 95% for the 5%.

I have 3 kids from ages 6 to 3 and watching them grow up is amazing...truly amazing. If you don't have kids of your own (PERSONALLY) I can't see how people who don't can understand...and that is coming from a cold hearted jerk....

"Originally Posted by Capt Caveman
Thank goodness the OP will never breed and pass on his dumbass genes. "

lol.. is that what the idiot said? this troll is on my block list. hope he gets hit by a bus


leeland-
you think raising 3 kids is worth the cost of being stressed or running 95% of the time?

or is the article right and you're rationalizing it by telling yourself that?
"parents fool themselves into believing that having kids is more rewarding than it actually is."
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
having kids is stressful, hard, and very busy. I wouldn't mind if the stress and worry was gone. but hell you have stress in all aspects of life. I do think the rewards make the stress and worry worth it.

I do feel that my children are the best thing to ever happen to me. i enjoy playing lego's with my son, i enjoy taking my daughter to gymnastics, i enjoy sitting and playing whatever.

I take great pride in the fact my 2 kids are well behaved in public (well 90% of the time heh), are doing great in school, and polite.

Now i am not saying that EVERY parent enjoys it or even wants it. Hell it could be because of my health issues i have a different view on life. But to me right now the most important thing is my kids. My main objective is making sure they are healthy, mature, happy and able to survive and succeed in life.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
"Originally Posted by Capt Caveman
Thank goodness the OP will never breed and pass on his dumbass genes. "

lol.. is that what the idiot said? this troll is on my block list. hope he gets hit by a bus


leeland-
you think raising 3 kids is worth the cost of being stressed or running 95% of the time?

or is the article right and you're rationalizing it by telling yourself that?
"parents fool themselves into believing that having kids is more rewarding than it actually is."

IF raising kids is stressing you out 95% of the time you have issues. is it stressfull? hell yeah. when my 4 yr old is sick its rough. When my 8 yr old broke her ankle it was rough. the rest of the time? no.

i wonder if the "study" is lumping all stress in because of the kids. there is stress of getting the house fixed (contractors suck!), there is stress if the car breaks down, there is stress with the weather etc etc.

to not have kids becuase of stress is silly. you might as well kill yourself if you want to avoid stress.
 

xaeniac

Golden Member
Feb 4, 2005
1,641
14
81
There are certain things a study can not get an accurate picture on. Parenthood is not always easy, but the gift of life and raising kids is a life experience that you are missing out on if you never have them.
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,124
12
81
There are certain things a study can not get an accurate picture on. Parenthood is not always easy, but the gift of life and raising kids is a life experience that you are missing out on if you never have them.

Once they are able to accurately study and predict love, then they can start explaining parenthood.

MotionMan
 

bobeedee

Senior member
Jun 18, 2001
305
12
81
No surprises here; the same ATOT douchebags with no kids ranting about how stupid parenthood is...
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,584
984
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Really? Seems to me like everything about parenthood is exaggerated.

Disclosure: I'm not a parent, and clearly I couldn't possibly form a worthwhile opinion on parenthood from observation. Therefore it's a waste of your time to even read what I'm going to write.

Blah blah blah blah blah...I don't know what I'm talking about.

Fixed ;)

Get back to me after you've been a parent for a few years. :p
 

tyler811

Diamond Member
Jan 27, 2002
5,385
0
71
I can honestly say this article is shit. There is no amount of money or status in this lifetime or any other life time that would change my mind about having a child.

When my child started discovering things like small animals and insects, it taught me to slow down and look carefully at life around me. I remember when my child was 3 years old, I had had a very bad day at work and wanted nothing more then to sit down and zone out on the couch to forgot about the day. To regress into my own shell for the night and wallow in my solitude. About 7 pm on a warm spring night with stars sparking and a full moon luminating the night as no street light can, my son wanted to walked down to the park. I remember sitting there on the couch in my bubble of impenetrable self thought telling him tomorrow we will go to the park when these words echoed in my head. "Take each and every day with your child to heart. Treat each as a gem and put it in your treasure chest of memories. Because this day will end and tomorrow is never promised".
I got up and grudgingly put on my shoes to walk the little one to the park. I had taken no more then 10 steps when my child looked up at me, hugged me and said "Thanks Daddy" his eyes sparkingly in the twilight dim. At this point I heard the crickets and the birds in the evening stillness. The grass and trees smelled fresh like after a spring shower and my mind quickly raced back to my own childhood as it seemed that long ago when I last felt the wonderous movements of this place we call life.
On the walk my child spotted a toad jumping down the sidewalk and stopped in mid step suspended in awe and fascination. We watched that toad for more then 15 minutes proving that the best memories in life are free and worth more then a kings ransom.

Take it as you want it ATOT, throw your sarcastis barbs or type your usual "to long to read". Hear this though if you are not parent then you cannot judge life as one as only one can be the true judge. To those who find it frustrating then maybe you should look at yourself and think about the values and attitude you have toward life that you are instilling onto your child.
 
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IGBT

Lifer
Jul 16, 2001
17,975
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will get plenty worse when the home mortgage and dependent deduction go away.
 

mizzou

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2008
9,734
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at some point I would like to create a creature in my own image

but right now I'm too busy trying to hit prestige in black ops
 

GTaudiophile

Lifer
Oct 24, 2000
29,767
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I don't have children and don't particularly want any but I will call BS on the "study" as well. The joys of parenthood are simply too subjective to measure.
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
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81
No surprises here; the same ATOT douchebags with no kids ranting about how stupid parenthood is...

It's because we need to deal with you assholes who drive minivans. Go the fucking speed limit and stop obstructing traffic.
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
To each is own I suppose. I would not trade my kids for anything....even if it meant giving my own life. Do they aggravate me at times? Sure as hell do. Doesn't change a thing.
 
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nick1985

Lifer
Dec 29, 2002
27,153
6
81
It's because we need to deal with you assholes who drive minivans. Go the fucking speed limit and stop obstructing traffic.

Yeah, and they drive around with this shit on their cars:

mickeypeopledisplay.jpg



HINT:

Nobody gives a shit about your stupid family. I don't care that your son is a football player, that your daughter is a cheerleader, or that you have a newborn.
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
Yeah, and they drive around with this shit on their cars:

mickeypeopledisplay.jpg



HINT:

Nobody gives a shit about your stupid family. I don't care that your son is a football player, that your daughter is a cheerleader, or that you have a newborn.

Maybe I should put one on my car just to piss people like you off. :biggrin:
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
2
81
Maybe I should put one on my car just to piss people like you off. :biggrin:

I was thinking of putting a "baby on board" sign in my corolla. It would seem so fitting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_on_Board
Despite waning in popularity, the signs have entered the American lexicon. In 1993, The Simpsons episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" featured a barbershop quartet tune called "Baby On Board". The song was written by Homer Simpson in a flashback to 1985 when Marge bought a sign, hoping it would stop people "intentionally ramming our car."
 

Dr. Zaus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2008
11,764
347
126
Yeah, and they drive around with this shit on their cars:

mickeypeopledisplay.jpg



HINT:

Nobody gives a shit about your stupid family. I don't care that your son is a football player, that your daughter is a cheerleader, or that you have a newborn.

You are so wrong it hurts. I honestly love to see parents that care about their kids, are proud of them and drive more carefully because of their children.