Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Please explain the environmental impact of a child. Thank you

Here's one explanation: http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2009/jul/family-planning-major-environmental-emphasis (The focus here is on carbon emissions.)

Anonymous wrote:

Please explain the environmental impact of a child. Thank you

Anonymous wrote:That's all well and good, but please don't claim that you are environmentally conscious. Giving birth to more than the replacement rate in a first-world country is the worst thing that you can do for the environment as an individual. The amount of resources that one of us uses is multiple times more than recycling or growing your own veggies.

Anonymous wrote:So much judgement from people who claim tolerance. I think if some of you really stopped and thought about the words you just typed, you might feel a little less smug.

We have five children. We are not wealthy, at least not by DC standards. I SAH. My DH makes 200,000 a year. We do not live in DC right now. My DH is based out of DC and we spend about 18-24 months in DC every five or six years. So no. Not rich.

We attend a Unity church. We are spiritual but not particularly religious. All larger families are not Mormon or Catholic.

I think we spend plenty of time with our children. At least I hope we do. Four of them are grown. They all appear to be happy, healthy, productive members of society. They all received merit based scholarships to college. We are a very close family. Our children are home often for visits. Unless I am reading them wrong, they seem to feel they received plenty of attention. I guess the jury is still out on the 17 year old. He seems to be a happy kid. Our biggest gift to our children is a mom and dad who have been happily married for 29 years.

I don't see a significant negative environmental impact. We are very environmentally conscious. We have always recycled. We reuse. We have a large garden and grow about 70% of our fruits and vegetables. We always have enough to share. Our home is solar powered. We collect rainwater for the garden. We compost. We create very little garbage compared to most smaller families. We usually don't even fill one trash can a week.

I think living in a large family can be a good thing. Our children learned responsibility at a very young age. Even at two years old our kids had simple home and farm chores like helping collect eggs or pulling vegetables. Some of our kids love life in the country and have chosen to stay closer to home. Our daughter loves DC and lives a very urban life. The thing they have in common is responsibility. Our four oldest kids left for college, graduated, got good jobs, two got married, and all four live completely independently. No one is crashing on our couch. At least not yet.

I would caution you to be careful with stereotypes. You don't know the details of other people's lives. You don't know how their family was created. You don't know why they chose a houseful of kids. I've learned that I'm usually wrong when I make quick, uninformed judgments about other people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much judgement from people who claim tolerance. I think if some of you really stopped and thought about the words you just typed, you might feel a little less smug.

We have five children. We are not wealthy, at least not by DC standards. I SAH. My DH makes 200,000 a year. We do not live in DC right now. My DH is based out of DC and we spend about 18-24 months in DC every five or six years. So no. Not rich.

We attend a Unity church. We are spiritual but not particularly religious. All larger families are not Mormon or Catholic.

I think we spend plenty of time with our children. At least I hope we do. Four of them are grown. They all appear to be happy, healthy, productive members of society. They all received merit based scholarships to college. We are a very close family. Our children are home often for visits. Unless I am reading them wrong, they seem to feel they received plenty of attention. I guess the jury is still out on the 17 year old. He seems to be a happy kid. Our biggest gift to our children is a mom and dad who have been happily married for 29 years.

I don't see a significant negative environmental impact. We are very environmentally conscious. We have always recycled. We reuse. We have a large garden and grow about 70% of our fruits and vegetables. We always have enough to share. Our home is solar powered. We collect rainwater for the garden. We compost. We create very little garbage compared to most smaller families. We usually don't even fill one trash can a week.

I think living in a large family can be a good thing. Our children learned responsibility at a very young age. Even at two years old our kids had simple home and farm chores like helping collect eggs or pulling vegetables. Some of our kids love life in the country and have chosen to stay closer to home. Our daughter loves DC and lives a very urban life. The thing they have in common is responsibility. Our four oldest kids left for college, graduated, got good jobs, two got married, and all four live completely independently. No one is crashing on our couch. At least not yet.

I would caution you to be careful with stereotypes. You don't know the details of other people's lives. You don't know how their family was created. You don't know why they chose a houseful of kids. I've learned that I'm usually wrong when I make quick, uninformed judgments about other people.

You're writing paragraph after paragraph apologizing for your huge family because you know, deep down, that none of what you said above is true.

Anonymous wrote:I'm concerned with this.

The rise of white supremacy and xenophobia.
The push for the white babies.
There is a historical context for this and we're in dangerous territory.

Anonymous wrote:So much judgement from people who claim tolerance. I think if some of you really stopped and thought about the words you just typed, you might feel a little less smug.

We have five children. We are not wealthy, at least not by DC standards. I SAH. My DH makes 200,000 a year. We do not live in DC right now. My DH is based out of DC and we spend about 18-24 months in DC every five or six years. So no. Not rich.

We attend a Unity church. We are spiritual but not particularly religious. All larger families are not Mormon or Catholic.

I think we spend plenty of time with our children. At least I hope we do. Four of them are grown. They all appear to be happy, healthy, productive members of society. They all received merit based scholarships to college. We are a very close family. Our children are home often for visits. Unless I am reading them wrong, they seem to feel they received plenty of attention. I guess the jury is still out on the 17 year old. He seems to be a happy kid. Our biggest gift to our children is a mom and dad who have been happily married for 29 years.

I don't see a significant negative environmental impact. We are very environmentally conscious. We have always recycled. We reuse. We have a large garden and grow about 70% of our fruits and vegetables. We always have enough to share. Our home is solar powered. We collect rainwater for the garden. We compost. We create very little garbage compared to most smaller families. We usually don't even fill one trash can a week.

I think living in a large family can be a good thing. Our children learned responsibility at a very young age. Even at two years old our kids had simple home and farm chores like helping collect eggs or pulling vegetables. Some of our kids love life in the country and have chosen to stay closer to home. Our daughter loves DC and lives a very urban life. The thing they have in common is responsibility. Our four oldest kids left for college, graduated, got good jobs, two got married, and all four live completely independently. No one is crashing on our couch. At least not yet.

I would caution you to be careful with stereotypes. You don't know the details of other people's lives. You don't know how their family was created. You don't know why they chose a houseful of kids. I've learned that I'm usually wrong when I make quick, uninformed judgments about other people.

Anonymous wrote:So much judgement from people who claim tolerance. I think if some of you really stopped and thought about the words you just typed, you might feel a little less smug.

We have five children. We are not wealthy, at least not by DC standards. I SAH. My DH makes 200,000 a year. We do not live in DC right now. My DH is based out of DC and we spend about 18-24 months in DC every five or six years. So no. Not rich.

We attend a Unity church. We are spiritual but not particularly religious. All larger families are not Mormon or Catholic.

I think we spend plenty of time with our children. At least I hope we do. Four of them are grown. They all appear to be happy, healthy, productive members of society. They all received merit based scholarships to college. We are a very close family. Our children are home often for visits. Unless I am reading them wrong, they seem to feel they received plenty of attention. I guess the jury is still out on the 17 year old. He seems to be a happy kid. Our biggest gift to our children is a mom and dad who have been happily married for 29 years.

I don't see a significant negative environmental impact. We are very environmentally conscious. We have always recycled. We reuse. We have a large garden and grow about 70% of our fruits and vegetables. We always have enough to share. Our home is solar powered. We collect rainwater for the garden. We compost. We create very little garbage compared to most smaller families. We usually don't even fill one trash can a week.

I think living in a large family can be a good thing. Our children learned responsibility at a very young age. Even at two years old our kids had simple home and farm chores like helping collect eggs or pulling vegetables. Some of our kids love life in the country and have chosen to stay closer to home. Our daughter loves DC and lives a very urban life. The thing they have in common is responsibility. Our four oldest kids left for college, graduated, got good jobs, two got married, and all four live completely independently. No one is crashing on our couch. At least not yet.

I would caution you to be careful with stereotypes. You don't know the details of other people's lives. You don't know how their family was created. You don't know why they chose a houseful of kids. I've learned that I'm usually wrong when I make quick, uninformed judgments about other people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much judgement from people who claim tolerance. I think if some of you really stopped and thought about the words you just typed, you might feel a little less smug.

We have five children. We are not wealthy, at least not by DC standards. I SAH. My DH makes 200,000 a year. We do not live in DC right now. My DH is based out of DC and we spend about 18-24 months in DC every five or six years. So no. Not rich.

We attend a Unity church. We are spiritual but not particularly religious. All larger families are not Mormon or Catholic.

I think we spend plenty of time with our children. At least I hope we do. Four of them are grown. They all appear to be happy, healthy, productive members of society. They all received merit based scholarships to college. We are a very close family. Our children are home often for visits. Unless I am reading them wrong, they seem to feel they received plenty of attention. I guess the jury is still out on the 17 year old. He seems to be a happy kid. Our biggest gift to our children is a mom and dad who have been happily married for 29 years.

I don't see a significant negative environmental impact. We are very environmentally conscious. We have always recycled. We reuse. We have a large garden and grow about 70% of our fruits and vegetables. We always have enough to share. Our home is solar powered. We collect rainwater for the garden. We compost. We create very little garbage compared to most smaller families. We usually don't even fill one trash can a week.

I think living in a large family can be a good thing. Our children learned responsibility at a very young age. Even at two years old our kids had simple home and farm chores like helping collect eggs or pulling vegetables. Some of our kids love life in the country and have chosen to stay closer to home. Our daughter loves DC and lives a very urban life. The thing they have in common is responsibility. Our four oldest kids left for college, graduated, got good jobs, two got married, and all four live completely independently. No one is crashing on our couch. At least not yet.

I would caution you to be careful with stereotypes. You don't know the details of other people's lives. You don't know how their family was created. You don't know why they chose a houseful of kids. I've learned that I'm usually wrong when I make quick, uninformed judgments about other people.

You're writing paragraph after paragraph apologizing for your huge family because you know, deep down, that none of what you said above is true.

What a bitter bitch you are.

NP and yes, the most ( self-proclaimed) open minded, liberal-leaning, diversity-loving free thinkers are the most close minded. Really, PP you are one of the intolerant types I despise. Not everyone shares your world view. You'd never, ever say this to a colleague, a family member or a neighbor. No. You preach tolerance, but you are tolerant of only those who supposedly share your opinions and lifestyle.

This is so absolutely true. And you will NEVER hear a valid response to this, because there simply isn't one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much judgement from people who claim tolerance. I think if some of you really stopped and thought about the words you just typed, you might feel a little less smug.

We have five children. We are not wealthy, at least not by DC standards. I SAH. My DH makes 200,000 a year. We do not live in DC right now. My DH is based out of DC and we spend about 18-24 months in DC every five or six years. So no. Not rich.

We attend a Unity church. We are spiritual but not particularly religious. All larger families are not Mormon or Catholic.

I think we spend plenty of time with our children. At least I hope we do. Four of them are grown. They all appear to be happy, healthy, productive members of society. They all received merit based scholarships to college. We are a very close family. Our children are home often for visits. Unless I am reading them wrong, they seem to feel they received plenty of attention. I guess the jury is still out on the 17 year old. He seems to be a happy kid. Our biggest gift to our children is a mom and dad who have been happily married for 29 years.

I don't see a significant negative environmental impact. We are very environmentally conscious. We have always recycled. We reuse. We have a large garden and grow about 70% of our fruits and vegetables. We always have enough to share. Our home is solar powered. We collect rainwater for the garden. We compost. We create very little garbage compared to most smaller families. We usually don't even fill one trash can a week.

I think living in a large family can be a good thing. Our children learned responsibility at a very young age. Even at two years old our kids had simple home and farm chores like helping collect eggs or pulling vegetables. Some of our kids love life in the country and have chosen to stay closer to home. Our daughter loves DC and lives a very urban life. The thing they have in common is responsibility. Our four oldest kids left for college, graduated, got good jobs, two got married, and all four live completely independently. No one is crashing on our couch. At least not yet.

I would caution you to be careful with stereotypes. You don't know the details of other people's lives. You don't know how their family was created. You don't know why they chose a houseful of kids. I've learned that I'm usually wrong when I make quick, uninformed judgments about other people.

You're writing paragraph after paragraph apologizing for your huge family because you know, deep down, that none of what you said above is true.

What a bitter bitch you are.

NP and yes, the most ( self-proclaimed) open minded, liberal-leaning, diversity-loving free thinkers are the most close minded. Really, PP you are one of the intolerant types I despise. Not everyone shares your world view. You'd never, ever say this to a colleague, a family member or a neighbor. No. You preach tolerance, but you are tolerant of only those who supposedly share your opinions and lifestyle.

Anonymous wrote:I'm concerned with this.

The rise of white supremacy and xenophobia.
The push for the white babies.
There is a historical context for this and we're in dangerous territory.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think having 4-6 kids in urban private schools and taking international vacations indicates real wealth. 4-6 kids is pretty common in flyover country where I'm from, so it doesn't really indicate wealth. And not everyone who is wealthy actually wants 4-6 kids.

Yeah, to me it's driven by religion, not wealth.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you should have seen my face when I pulled this photo up



lol. Fwiw I have 3 kids now and there is no way I would want 5 or 6 total! Four would be my absolute max! I don't see how I could give 5-6 kids the level of individual attention I give my 3 kids now.

Nanny, au pair, tutors, housekeeper ... kids off to boarding school in grade 9. Hence, signal of wealth.

But as the parent, I still want to be able to give each child a certain amount of my attention each day. And I want my H to do so as well. Maybe I am too much of a control freak but as it is now I don't trust babysitters to oversee hw and I like to put them to bed myself and give cuddles, go to their activities and games myself, etc.

We're pretty maxed out time wise with 3 kids. I could see adding a 4th but no more than that.

Agree. I only have two (and done) and I still feel pulled between them sometimes. I'm not great at multitasking so it's very hard for me to, say, cook dinner and supervise two kids' homework. We are fortunate that DH makes a high salary so the decision to stop at 2 was 0% financial and 100% emotional.

+1

That is because you actually care more about your children's well being and less about using your kids for your own personal gains.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm concerned with this.

The rise of white supremacy and xenophobia.
The push for the white babies.
There is a historical context for this and we're in dangerous territory.

??? I am a minority and have no problem with whites having more babies to preserve the white race. It doesn't necessarily make them racist. Same with any other race, as long as they don't also espouse oppressing other people. Live and let live.