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The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

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Re: The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

#261

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Idiocracy is a joke about a real phenomenon. The outcome will likely be less extreme, but possibly not dissimilar.

That wasn't even the point of the movie https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18489573

I fundamentally disagree with that post. The idea of Idiocracy was clear, but it made an additional statement with what it decided to portray as "stupid". Two things can be true at the same time.

Re: The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

#262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree that there's more joy to parenthood. I think that's a lie parents tell themselves to justify their decision. I'm happy for you if you're happy to have children. That doesn't mean people without children aren't as happy as you.

Other people have put it more eloquently and perhaps a bit more diplomatically, but you’re wrong. I lived for 33 years before having a child and nothing - absolutely nothing - ever brought me more joy than something as simple as my daughter’s stupid grin when I’m on my back and she’s above me, ready to pounce. While I’m sure not every parent feels the same way, I bet most do. I feel sorry for the people out there tha…

Wait until she hits the curiosity stage and you see the birth of reason. That's something you don't get from a dog.

Re: The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

#263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree that there's more joy to parenthood. I think that's a lie parents tell themselves to justify their decision. I'm happy for you if you're happy to have children. That doesn't mean people without children aren't as happy as you.

Western culture no longer seems to appreciate the commitment that is required to raise children. Personally I think people are too self-centered and are too eager to seek hedonism. Whether or not it will be OK long term is to be seen. I have no doubt that if you were to ask the people without kids on their death bed if they wished they had had them, they would say yes.

In western culture raising kids by societal norms is a bigger commitment than it ever was. My grandma had 7 siblings and no shoes for most of her childhood. It wasn't nearly as big a commitment for my great grandparents to raise her.

Re: The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

#264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the commenter is saying you can't be happy without children, but it's a kind of experience that you either have or you don't, and it's hard to understand if you never had children. I'll add some context below in case you're interested in hearing about my own perspective. I was pretty darn happy as someone who got to go read a book each weekend at a coffee shop and workout 3x per week. I eventually had a…

Meh I mean it's true for some not others. I had a kid and never particularly found the richness and depth emotional feeling. Of course if you express the opinion you find parenting to be basically another duty you must fulfill to the best of your ability despite finding little to no joy from the task, it will be taken poorly. So you internalize the lie, buy into it the best you can to pretend to yourself you don't ha…

I feel in anything you do or have to do, you can find richness and depth. At least that’s somehow what I like to believe and trying to make my life experience be by practicing meditation.

The duty of being a parent however, just comes with so much expectations from society and therefore within yourself - It is super hard to find freedom within that duty, to then actually find your relationship to your child, the specific richness and depth it can be for the both of you.

So in that regard, saying „I don’t find that in there for me“ is just as good and right as any other point of experience.

Re: The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

#265
post #244
post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Families with "women in the workplace" are not brainwashed, they are wielding hard earned rights and freedoms against violently indifferent economic structures. Under capitalism, we are not free unless we draw a wage, and women have learned there are no wages for housework.

Yes those free loading kids need to be paying their mothers for all the labor they provide.

Having kids is a benefit to society. Even though nobody has kids "for the greater good", it still is in everyone's interest that there is a strong upcoming generation. I think it's not unreasonable for a society to pay parents who decide to stay at home during the first years for their efforts, if only to make having kids sufficiently attractive.

Lots of people just can't afford to stay home and capitalism makes it hard enough to rejoin the workforce after 3 years, let alone advance your career. A societal advance in this regard would also be needed imo

Re: The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

#266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree that there's more joy to parenthood. I think that's a lie parents tell themselves to justify their decision. I'm happy for you if you're happy to have children. That doesn't mean people without children aren't as happy as you.

This stance strikes me as odd. Every parent was once a non-parent, and therefore can compare their own experience before and after. I'm sure parents are a little (intentionally) delusional at times, nobody wants to seem like a 'bad' or 'uncaring' parent. But to assume that the extreme majority of parents are lying about enjoying an experience that they've been evolutionarily primed for seems like flat-earth level rea…

My issue is not with the fact that some parents are happy with their decision.

My issue is the implication that the joy of parenthood is above every other joy.

For comparison, you don't see programmers claiming the joy of programming is superior to all other jobs. Mountaineers don't claim that you haven't enjoyed life unless you climb mountains.

Why? Because those things are obviously joyful, but not accessible to everyone. Not everyone can climb, not everyone can program, but everyone can find their own joy.

So why do parents feel okay saying that? If you can come up with any other reason then please let me know because I'm still searching.

Re: The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

#267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree that there's more joy to parenthood. I think that's a lie parents tell themselves to justify their decision. I'm happy for you if you're happy to have children. That doesn't mean people without children aren't as happy as you.

Can you really have an objective opinion until you experience both sides? I suspect it isn't the parents that are lying to themselves...

You can't have an objective opinion after experiencing both sides either.

A child is a life long decision. You don't get to say "oh I was wrong" after a couple years.

Re: The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

#268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree that there's more joy to parenthood. I think that's a lie parents tell themselves to justify their decision. I'm happy for you if you're happy to have children. That doesn't mean people without children aren't as happy as you.

Western culture no longer seems to appreciate the commitment that is required to raise children. Personally I think people are too self-centered and are too eager to seek hedonism. Whether or not it will be OK long term is to be seen. I have no doubt that if you were to ask the people without kids on their death bed if they wished they had had them, they would say yes.

People in their deathbed also regret working so much but nobody's chomping at the bit to quit their job and become a bum.

Re: The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

#269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree that there's more joy to parenthood. I think that's a lie parents tell themselves to justify their decision. I'm happy for you if you're happy to have children. That doesn't mean people without children aren't as happy as you.

Just as you think it’s annoying to have someone project the statement onto you (though I don’t think that’s what GP was doing), I think it’s annoying you’re telling me it’s a lie that I’m telling myself. I can say with confidence I’m happier with kids than without. I’ve had it both ways, and I can speak to my own experience with honesty far better than you can guess about strangers you don’t know. Don’t take GP’s sta…

And I'm very happy for you.

However, what I'm arguing is not "having children makes me happy."

It's "having children is above every other kind of happiness."

Think about that for a second. What does that statement say to a person without children? To me, I hear that if you don't have children you're literally wasting your life. It's a denial of every other thing people find joy in.

Why would you say that? I can only think of two reasons:

- You're an asshole trying to feel superior to others

- You're unsure of your decision, so you have to put everyone else down

If you have any other reasons then let me know though!

Re: The key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers

#270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree that there's more joy to parenthood. I think that's a lie parents tell themselves to justify their decision. I'm happy for you if you're happy to have children. That doesn't mean people without children aren't as happy as you.

I don't think the commenter is saying you can't be happy without children, but it's a kind of experience that you either have or you don't, and it's hard to understand if you never had children. I'll add some context below in case you're interested in hearing about my own perspective. I was pretty darn happy as someone who got to go read a book each weekend at a coffee shop and workout 3x per week. I eventually had a…

And I'm very happy for you, but I'm not arguing whether you can be happy with children or not.

I'm arguing about whether having children is above every other kind of happiness.

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