Well, for those of you that don't know me, let me start by telling you all that I have one child. He is almost thirteen years old. (Sheesh! Am I that old already!? ) I love him more than anything or anyone in the world. He was the most adorable baby, the cutest toddler, the funniest and most precocious child ... unfortunately now he is the most sullen, insolent and smart-mouthed teen ... but I'm hoping he grows out of that soon!

BUT ... I really never wanted kids. He was not planned, by any means. I never played with dolls or played house or school when I was a kid, my mom says. I never liked babies, or wanted to baby-sit. I'm a selfish person, really ... I want MY stuff in MY house, and I want to spend MY time doing MY things. It has been VERY VERY hard for me to be a parent. I think I have done a pretty good job, the best job I can do. But I will be QUITE happy and relieved when he grows up and moves out on his own. And I NEVER wanted any more kids, not for a nano-second. I could have lived my whole life very happily without a child. Of course, I can obviously live my life happily with a child, too.

I really don't see why the world feels it must divide itself into the "child" and "no child" camps. Strange. I can't fathom why people with kids feel EVERYone should have kids. My gosh ... isn't it obvious that most people who don't want or like kids don't make very good parents, and turn out not very good kids? Why would ANY of us want to live in a world populated by those kids, after they grow up? I have friends that are married, single, have kids, have no kids, straight, gay, rich, poor, like animals, don't like animals.