to find myself agreeing with this article?

[camperdahlia]

Came across this article in yesterdays Times, saw the headline (Stop! Think! Do you really want that baby?) saw the photo of the pretty 12 year old writing the article with TWO KIDS OF HER OWN, and got myself in a total temper.

Then to my horror found myself agreeing with the article! Have I gone mad?

I didnt hate the article as much as I thought I would but yes it is an exercise in smuggery.

I get really pissed off with the eco argument for not having a big family. Whataloadofoldbollocks. Its the same old 'yuck, feckless, thick woman having loads of kids because she is too stupid not too' argument recycled (geddit?)

Mr Attenborough has had children hasnt he? I doubt he was worried about the ice caps when he was reproducing.

Well if the aim of the article was to divide opinion it looks like it's worked!

Personally, liked it. And glad to hear I'm not totally mad and do have a bit of support on that!

Complacent and smug - the usual childfree cant, with the slight twist that she's a mother herself. I do hope that she considered fully the implications of bringing another two demanding lives onto the crowded planet.

And there's more than a whiff of the 'it's not right for clever women to have children because there are other things we should be doing, so let the thickos have them instead'.

Okay there is something smug and horrible about the writing - as I am afraid there so often is with the Times lifestyle stuff - but there is something in the message isn't there?

We ARE all conditioned to have children, we have them instinctively and often unthinkingly and the planet IS overcrowded ...

Yawnsome smuggery. I expect the friends she's used as examples of bad decision-making had better reasons than the ones they gave but just didn't want to share with such an obviously judgemental narrow-minded hack.

I was quite surprised to find that the office I worked in, full of women and men in their late 30s to early 50s, that the vast majority didn't have any children, and didn't intend to.

I think the basic assumption of this article- that everyone has children whether they want them or not- is wrong. I know more childless couples than parents. I also know more families with one, or at most 2 children, than larger families.

Every time I read that it is ecologically wrong to have more than 2 children it makes me want to have a 6th!

Thing is, plenty of women who have always wanted children get a nasty shock when they have them, and plenty of women who were never that fussed fall in love on sight and are excellent fulfilled mummies.

Article way too simplistic.

Plus she forgets she's talking to Englishwomen. When asked that sort of question they are much more likely to say "well, it was about time, I thought why not" than gush "it has always been my dream to create the enegry and wonder that is a new life which I can devote myself to, it's been my lifelong ambition" like someone from a more, erm, gushing country.

elvislive I also know a lot of people that have chosen to remain childfree so the basic assumption of her article is wrong.

Bellaswell, we're English, don't want to get all gushy.

I may (tomorrow) have to borrow your "plenty of women who have always wanted children get a nasty shock when they have them, and plenty of women who were never that fussed fall in love on sight and are excellent fulfilled mummies" to start a new thread and ask.