Reply #60: I agree you can't really know what it's like

[astral]

if you haven't 'been there.' I can't count the number of times I have said "I can't imagine what it's like to be a parent." Kids will do the damnedest things, and parents will go to the ends of the earth to protect them, shelter them, nurture them. I can understand that, but when a kid has grown up into a spoiled brat adult who is still a kid accepting being carried by a parent, I lose all understanding of how they can be that way. Both the parent and the kid.

Some of us were raised by nurturing, loving parents, some of us didn't have it so good, or I suspect "MOST" of us had dysfunctional parents who did the best they knew how which may not have been very good.

I never ever wanted children. I think I 'like' children just fine but I don't go out of my way to spend time with anybody else's kids so I can tell you I'm not parent material not even a little bit. I have very high regard for the self-sacrifice and total love and hard work that parenthood is. It would be nice if it were that nobody would have to take it on without first making a conscious decision that they are up to the challenge and want to take it.