Due to popular demand, here’s the top five reasons to have children, according to Che, and in no particular order. All these are based on watching other people have children, and it working out well (as opposed to the bad reasons, which usually but not always, did not)

Reason One: “I’m pregnant”

I’ll happily admit to being anti-abortion, but pro-choice. Essentially I think that the morning-after is contraception, but termination is not. If you’re pregnant, think seriously about having the child, regardless of whether you think you can afford it.

In fact, being poor is probably the absolute worst reason to terminate a child. Plenty of kids grow up in poor households and go on to perfectly respectable lives. Yours truly being a case in point.

Reason Two: “We’re ready to start a family”

As I mentioned in the other post, and taking reason One into account, having children shouldn’t be done for it’s own sake. Have children because you want to change a functioning, happy partnership into a family. It’s like another stage in a working relationship.

Reason Three: “I just plain like kids”

If you don’t like kids, then why would you create one you can’t ever get rid of?

Reason Four: “Free stuff”

Ok, I ran out of reasons that weren’t cheesy, like, “the way babies smile” [ack...]. But if you like free stuff then you’ll likely find lots of people giving you it. Which is great on two levels. First it shows that people care and are willing to help and support, which is, quite simply, *awesome*. But also it shows that community isn’t just something academics wahrp on about.

Reason Five: “I know the difference between a pet and a baby”

Yup, really struggling now, but I’m serious. That’s a little person you’re guiding into adulthood there, not a chihuahua whose collar matches the colour of your handbag.

About these ads