Father's Day

Father's Day seemed like an excellent occasion to update my blog since I'm pretty sure I got my fear of children (at least in part) from my father. We drove him crazy. Every repetitive act of infancy was like a jackhammer to his grey matter. And the older I get, the more I feel his pain.

I would like to confront the accusation that the lack of any desire to be a parent is somehow selfish. No one would call you selfish for not wanting to have a dog or a cat. And children are basically high-stakes permanent pets with fine motor skills. Some people just have an aversion to things. It is not selfish to dislike peas or Brussels sprouts (Just learned how to spell that...did anyone else know it was plural? Or proper? Never really thought about it I guess. Anyway...). Some people aren't naturally inclined to things. It is not selfish to not take piano lessons or not play the cello.

On the contrary, often the reasons for reproduction can be much more self-serving than the decision to keep our genes to ourselves. We want someone to take care of us when we're older. Someone to be just like us! To mow our lawns and wash our dishes. We want someone to love us unconditionally. Something to spice up our stagnant marriage. We want someone to have the opportunities that we were never afforded--this sounds noble enough--but often that leads to living vicariously and unhealthily through our offspring. Treating them as our second chance at life rather than separate, individual humans with their own hopes and dreams.

That's all I have for today. Happy Father's day, folks. Do what you do...