get a pet. get a toy. get a condom. whatever.

Today’s going to be a depressing post. I was having dinner with my lovely grandmother (who was dressed from head to toe in red, yes red! and still managed to look nice! how does she pull it off? Who needs those gay queer men teaching me how to dress when I’ve got my very own fashion guru.) Anyways, I was having dinner with my lovely grandmother and a trendy looking woman walks up to the table next to ours. The man sitting there greets her and then looks shocked and asks “Where’s our son?!” And the woman looks back at him, also shocked and exclaims, “What? Isn’t he with YOU?” The man and the woman then get into a very verbal argument about who was supposed to pick up their son two hours ago. Oh, and their son is still waiting at the kindergarten because the man ends up calling the school. Wait there’s more, after yelling at each other abusive names, the man also yells into the phone at his son saying “Why didn’t you call me or mum? Why are you so stupid?”

I just wanted to get up right there and punch them both in their faces. STUPID? Seriously? They are calling their kindergarten-aged son “stupid” for … for expecting his parents to pick him up? What is going on in the world these days?

I often hear women saying things like, “Oh, I don’t want kids cos the labour and giving birth is just so painful!” Well, I have a different opinion. I don’t think the giving birth part is the hardest. I think the child rearing part is much more difficult. I think the adjustments and sacrifices that parents need to make are the hardest. Why have a child if you can not prioritize? 

To me, that’s the biggest hurdle to wanting a child. I always say that I don’t want children. Yes, I often joke that they’re annoying and noisy and prevent you from having a life. But really, I am not sure I am capable of being selfless and loving and sacrificing enough. It is so much easier to spoil your child, ignore your child, abuse your child even…than to actually teach and love your child. 

I pray for all parents in the world. Quite frankly, I think being a parent is probably the hardest job on earth. I’m not hating on bad parents, because I don’t believe anyone consciously tries to be a bad parent. But really, if you are not going to love your child, then please….just get a pet; get a toy; get a condom… whatever.