How many people actually like children?

[Whitehorses67]

I detest children.

Yes, I know that is a sweeping statement and that, as with adults, children vary but as a group I find them almost universally irritating, selfish and generally unpleasant to be with.

Of course at very young ages selfishness is understandable because understanding of others needs as separate beings is a developmental stage and I excuse that (but still don’t want to be in their company) however so many older children continue in this manner to young adulthood.

This is exacerbated by the modern cult of self which encourages “putting yourself first”, “living your best life”, “being your authentic self” and other bollocky catch phrases.

A generation of wannabe “influencers” and reality tv stars is created whose only aim is money and fame and enjoying themselves.

All very well but who does that leave doing actual important work to maintain society and support others?

Does anyone else admit to not liking children? Or at least only liking your own?

My life has been largely untouched by them. I can see their value in continuing the species (although there are far too many of us already) but beyond that....meh. Not my thing.

You can detest children all you like, but without children and young people there would be no future.

My preference has always been for my own children, who are now grown up. Less so for other people's but I did help friends out occasionally and of course my own children's friends would come round. I will enjoy and help out with grandchildren should I ever be fortunate enough to have any.

I used to find the company of children rather irritating, especially en masse. Then I had my own and realised that all of them go through these phases. It is now the parents who make little effort to deal with the behaviour that annoy me most. I have some sympathy too though because you just can't control what comes out of someone else's mouth at any given moment, even when that someone is a child. You can just deal with it as it happens.

We were all children of that age once. Including you. We weren't perfect and no doubt we sometimes irritated the fuck out of other people.

I quite like them, but I couldn't eat a whole one 😉

I wouldn't have said I like children before having my own, but I think that's because I didn't really know any.

Of course I love my own, but I also like their friends and now I'd say I love children in general. They can be so funny and sweet!

Of course, just like with adults, there are some I warm to more than others.

What an incredibly strange post! Generally on prefer children to adults
It's adults i find much more likely to be selfish and self centred they are just much better at hiding it.
And adults should know better.
I can't understand anyone making such a sweeping statement about the most vulnerable people in society.
I despair if OPs view is held by many people.

Most influencers are adults, OP. You hate children because society has bred some self absorbed influencers? That is the weirdest logic I've heard in a long time.

I love spending time with children. I love their enthusiasm, their quirkiness, their perception of the world, their playfulness. I wasn't so keen on the baby years, but once DC were children, I had so much fun being their parent, showing them the world, making and doing things with them, teaching them stuff, learning things from them. Most of the high points of my life involve my DC.

I tend to like people generally and children slightly more than some adults. Teenagers are on the whole lovely, I find. A lot of people do not exactly improve with age, and become boring and negative very quickly.

You said you'd retest children. I would call that another word for hate

I love them. (Not in the weird way!)

I have young nieces and I adore them. I love watching them grow and experience life for the first time.

in public I tend to just not notice them. When they hit the ignorant teen years they can be a bit annoying, but if you hear a kid laughing it’s such a nice sound? It can be a little frustrating when they’re crying, but it’s absolutely ten times worse for the parent who’s trying to soothes them!

I find generally my heart goes out to children and I enjoy their company in short bursts but even the kids I really love I find I get bored fairly quickly. I don't let it show of course.

Yeah this and OP- you are incredibly stupid if you think only kids are "selfish" - bloody hell, just look at some threads on here to see adults doing all kinds of selfish things that hurt others.

In general, I like kids. Personally, I find kids far more honest, authentic and genuine than many adults

a generation of wannabe “influencers”

this doesn’t even make sense. This can’t be a reason you “detest” babies - because some will grow up into something you don’t like?

All very well but who that leave doing actual important work to maintain society

Some of the other children you detest?

I think saying you detest children is weird anyway. But your reasoning is incoherent.

Detest and hate are pretty close in meaning.

Just everything in moderation ☺️

Its not acceptable because it suggests you’re a bigot, same as hating any other group of people for a characteristic they can’t change ( age, sex, race, disability)

Children are just younger people, some may be detestable, some may be delightful. I neither like or hate children because well I don’t know them all.

Absolutely fine to not want to be a parent or to care for children, it’s quite a significant burden but to just randomly detest people because of their age well it says a lot about you not about them.

Your first sentence was literally "I detest children". That suggests more than "heartily dislike".

Not sure why you think MN is the best place to find others who think like you, although I'm sure there is the odd one.

Personally, I like some children and find some annoying. Sometimes both at the same time and sometimes a child changes from one to the other. Almost like they are all growing, developing individuals...

I tend to avoid them.

You're entitled to choose who you spend time with @Whitehorses67 . But sweeping statements and using words like 'detest', makes you sound like bigot.
If you find anyone irritating, don't be around them. But to make bold, value judgements on an entire section of humanity says more about you than them.
You could have opened a discussion about social media or parenting, but you didn't. You focused on children per se.

I didn't like children even when I was one.

Now, I a void them but I tend to avoid people in general.

I’ve just had some year 10 girls on work experience.

They were gorgeous! Kind, thoughtful and hardworking.

i have a son in year 9 and he’s lovely. His friends are sweethearts. They’re intelligent and friendly and love a chat.

Don’t be so mean OP.

I don't 'love' children in general, I feel relatively indifferent to most children other than my own (who I adore). However just the thought of any child suffering or being mistreated provokes an almost physical grief within me. A wave of pure sadness. It was something I never really gave much thought before having children, but came on very strongly once I had them and truly realised how vulnerable they are. It truly breaks my heart to hear or see any mistreatment, or even (just) unkindness towards children.

To be fair, if you added in 'ruined the world for those coming behind', 'entitled' and 'pulled the ladder up' to those descriptions, I have heard similar many times re boomers. Generalisation happens across the board.

All very well but who does that leave doing actual important work to maintain society and support others?

Um... the children who grow up to be medics and plumbers and electricians and engineers and care workers and um, well, useful members of society.

I like children, I adore babies and love my own family dc of course. I have taught for 31 years and have very fond memories of many of my students.
However, after 31 years of teaching, running Sunday school and crèche at church and babysitting I must admit that I’m kind of done with them now. I still want the absolute best for them and work to support children’s rights in an indirect way but I just get fed up with entertaining other people’s children (they seem to make a beeline for me 🤷🏽‍♀️) and of children spoiling my peace by screaming and screeching at the top of their lungs. This year I am slightly guiltily looking forward to two weeks in an adults only hotel.

All very well but who does that leave doing actual important work to maintain society and support others?

What are you rabbiting on about? All the young people I know are actively working already, or working towards doing important work to maintain society and support others. I don't know a single teen that wants to be an influencer - more likely a physical therapist or electrical.