Unless your descendant figures out how to prevent the heat death of the Universe, it's all for naught and you're just kidding yourself.

Elaborate fantasies about descendants is a lot crazier than blowing money on enjoying yourself.

you responded to me and I never said that siring children is an end in itself. it’s telling you need to distort other views to this extent to make your own view appear better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Gen X and never wanted children. Personal choice. Judge away. But I am now REALLY happy with this decision when I see what is happening with this planet. All of your "ancestral homes" are going to burn to the ground someday soon given this climate. And guess what? Young people don't don't want your old houses, your old shit, and your brown furniture. I am sorry. They just don't! They don't want your books, either (which is sad to me).

THE POINT, OP - IS TO LIVE YOUR LIFE HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT!

Did you know Ben Franklin has 2,000 living descendants? You will have zero.

Ben Franklin also participated in drafting the Declaration of Independence, invented many things, was an important diplomat and author, and was a member of both the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. He could have zero descendants and have an astounding legacy.

What have you done worthwhile? Anything?

If your only claim to a worthwhile life is reproduction, you're pathetic. Dogs do that much. Do better.

how many childless people have Benjamin franklin's level of accomplishment? I would say that 99% of people have approximately zero legacy. their work was not important, it was not timeless, it did not change the world. So what if you always met your deadline or became a partner?

I agree that life is more than parenting, carpe diem and all that. But for a vast majority of people, having and raising children is the most significant accomplishment they are ever going to have.

Is all parenting an accomplishment, or just good parenting?

it's both. it's an experience, and also, a result. it's the best and most important legacy a vast majority of people will have. if you are an einstein or a picasso, ok, you don't need kids. otherwise, it's really your best shot of doing something important in your life.

So you think some bum who impregnated a dozen women and doesn't know any of his kids did something more important with his life than someone who had the misfortune of never meeting the right person to have kids with but worked, cared for his/her friends and family, loved his/her pets, and left money to their nieces/nephews and some animal shelters? That's just whack, sorry.

really? i am glad you feel that way about nonsense you yourself served here.

nobody said siring children is something. when people talk about kids as a legacy, they think about raising kids to decent human beings, in line with their biological potential. and yes, this is more valuable than a vast majority of jobs, especially prestige paper-pushing jobs, which are the ones people use to justify not having children. nobody said, i don't want to be have kids because i want to clean streets.

Actually, I was responding directly to someone who wrote that siring children is as much the point as raising them to decent human beings.
So by that definition, a bum who can't stop impregnating women did something more important with his life than a good guy who happened to be sterile. And yes, it is whack.

Anonymous wrote:One of my high school friends just lost his second child...both children he had are now dead and he is only in his 60s. Not everyone's children actually survive to have children OP, much less have grandchildren.

PSA: Please encourage your adult kids to stay away from motorcycles. And drugs. Both have killed more of my friends kids than I can count.

According to my High School website, 5 of the boys in my graduating class died in car/motorcycle accidents within 2 years of graduating, including our Senior Class president. One died of a drug overdose. And that is only the ones we know about.

4 of the girls died in their 30s, all from cancer (breast, cervical, ovarian.) No auto accidents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Gen X and never wanted children. Personal choice. Judge away. But I am now REALLY happy with this decision when I see what is happening with this planet. All of your "ancestral homes" are going to burn to the ground someday soon given this climate. And guess what? Young people don't don't want your old houses, your old shit, and your brown furniture. I am sorry. They just don't! They don't want your books, either (which is sad to me).

THE POINT, OP - IS TO LIVE YOUR LIFE HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT!

Did you know Ben Franklin has 2,000 living descendants? You will have zero.

Ben Franklin also participated in drafting the Declaration of Independence, invented many things, was an important diplomat and author, and was a member of both the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. He could have zero descendants and have an astounding legacy.

What have you done worthwhile? Anything?

If your only claim to a worthwhile life is reproduction, you're pathetic. Dogs do that much. Do better.

how many childless people have Benjamin franklin's level of accomplishment? I would say that 99% of people have approximately zero legacy. their work was not important, it was not timeless, it did not change the world. So what if you always met your deadline or became a partner?

I agree that life is more than parenting, carpe diem and all that. But for a vast majority of people, having and raising children is the most significant accomplishment they are ever going to have.

Is all parenting an accomplishment, or just good parenting?

it's both. it's an experience, and also, a result. it's the best and most important legacy a vast majority of people will have. if you are an einstein or a picasso, ok, you don't need kids. otherwise, it's really your best shot of doing something important in your life.

So you think some bum who impregnated a dozen women and doesn't know any of his kids did something more important with his life than someone who had the misfortune of never meeting the right person to have kids with but worked, cared for his/her friends and family, loved his/her pets, and left money to their nieces/nephews and some animal shelters? That's just whack, sorry.

really? i am glad you feel that way about nonsense you yourself served here.

nobody said siring children is something. when people talk about kids as a legacy, they think about raising kids to decent human beings, in line with their biological potential. and yes, this is more valuable than a vast majority of jobs, especially prestige paper-pushing jobs, which are the ones people use to justify not having children. nobody said, i don't want to be have kids because i want to clean streets.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Gen X and never wanted children. Personal choice. Judge away. But I am now REALLY happy with this decision when I see what is happening with this planet. All of your "ancestral homes" are going to burn to the ground someday soon given this climate. And guess what? Young people don't don't want your old houses, your old shit, and your brown furniture. I am sorry. They just don't! They don't want your books, either (which is sad to me).

THE POINT, OP - IS TO LIVE YOUR LIFE HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT!

Did you know Ben Franklin has 2,000 living descendants? You will have zero.

Ben Franklin also participated in drafting the Declaration of Independence, invented many things, was an important diplomat and author, and was a member of both the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. He could have zero descendants and have an astounding legacy.

What have you done worthwhile? Anything?

If your only claim to a worthwhile life is reproduction, you're pathetic. Dogs do that much. Do better.

how many childless people have Benjamin franklin's level of accomplishment? I would say that 99% of people have approximately zero legacy. their work was not important, it was not timeless, it did not change the world. So what if you always met your deadline or became a partner?

I agree that life is more than parenting, carpe diem and all that. But for a vast majority of people, having and raising children is the most significant accomplishment they are ever going to have.

Is all parenting an accomplishment, or just good parenting?

it's both. it's an experience, and also, a result. it's the best and most important legacy a vast majority of people will have. if you are an einstein or a picasso, ok, you don't need kids. otherwise, it's really your best shot of doing something important in your life.

So you think some bum who impregnated a dozen women and doesn't know any of his kids did something more important with his life than someone who had the misfortune of never meeting the right person to have kids with but worked, cared for his/her friends and family, loved his/her pets, and left money to their nieces/nephews and some animal shelters? That's just whack, sorry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I literally gave up 22 years of my life between pregnancy and up college.

From kids soccer, back to school nights, SAT tutors, 21 birthday parties, play dates, paying for everything including college.

What was point of any of it without grandkids?

Lonely sad life for me at an empty Thanksgiving table with no one to even leave my stuff too.

What was point of having kids, what was even point of career or big house?

The point of living is life, your life. Having kids was a part of your life. Havjng grandkids will not be, disappoint happens sometimes. That said, I don't get all the PPs who say you're wrong for wanting grandkids so badly. I want them too, but I realize that may or may not happen. My plan is to base who gets an inheritance on which of my kids have kids. And leave nothing to those who choose to remain childfree.

What if one of your kids can't have kids?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I kinda secretly hope my kids don't have kids.

May I ask why? I secretly do, too, b/c of disabilities that run in my family and for which my kids would need me to help for many more hours than I am capable (emotionally) of giving.

My reasons are nothing is a guarantee. Any reasons for having kids seems like it comes with presumed guarantees - that the kids will likely be healthy, that they'll raise the kids together with their partner, that they'll have a family.

I just think it's such easier to enjoy your life without kids. You have the option to bond with other people's kids in all sorts of ways. But once you have you're own you're stick for life with being a parent to children. I don't like feeling forever responsible or forever have to be involved to some degree.

Very few things in my life went "as planned" and I long for being free to live my life more simply, like eat what I want when I want not have to feed proper nutrition to growing kids.

I'm a single/solo parent to teens and its tough. I love them and enjoy the built in family time and family to do things with. But I think kids just are so limiting to everything there is available. Parenting is one experience that limits and restricts every single other experience.

I don’t get adult males who don’t have kids. Look getting married is all downside with no kids. Why bother getting married.

But men unlike women pretty easy to have a kid without getting married.

Literally when I was single I say at least five women I could have had a kid with and not married. Other than child support and helping out how hard is that.

One women Dad almost wanted to “breed me” she was his only daughter, she had no BF I went on a few dates and basically he hinted knock her up. Literally told me he has business he wants a son to take over and pass on to future generations.

I had a few others.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Gen X and never wanted children. Personal choice. Judge away. But I am now REALLY happy with this decision when I see what is happening with this planet. All of your "ancestral homes" are going to burn to the ground someday soon given this climate. And guess what? Young people don't don't want your old houses, your old shit, and your brown furniture. I am sorry. They just don't! They don't want your books, either (which is sad to me).

THE POINT, OP - IS TO LIVE YOUR LIFE HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT!

Did you know Ben Franklin has 2,000 living descendants? You will have zero.

Ben Franklin also participated in drafting the Declaration of Independence, invented many things, was an important diplomat and author, and was a member of both the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. He could have zero descendants and have an astounding legacy.

What have you done worthwhile? Anything?

If your only claim to a worthwhile life is reproduction, you're pathetic. Dogs do that much. Do better.

how many childless people have Benjamin franklin's level of accomplishment? I would say that 99% of people have approximately zero legacy. their work was not important, it was not timeless, it did not change the world. So what if you always met your deadline or became a partner?

I agree that life is more than parenting, carpe diem and all that. But for a vast majority of people, having and raising children is the most significant accomplishment they are ever going to have.

Is all parenting an accomplishment, or just good parenting?

it's both. it's an experience, and also, a result. it's the best and most important legacy a vast majority of people will have. if you are an einstein or a picasso, ok, you don't need kids. otherwise, it's really your best shot of doing something important in your life.

And not everyone is lucky enough to be able to have kids now, even with IVF. Ask me how I know.

Sometimes what you do is the only legacy you have.

ok that is true but it’s a completely different thing. childless people who couldn’t have kids are are philosophically much closer to parents than childless by choice. most of them put much more effort into becoming parents that did actual parents. so, philosophically, they are super parents. and yes they should make most of their lives, use talents they have, enjoy life etc. But this is very different from people who chose not to have kids for various frivolous reasons or because they are going to make a bigger contribution in some other way.

no, their contribution is not going to be bigger than having kids. infertile couples, yes, them - no, even if their lifestyles are similar.