Which is better?
Children or Pets? The answer is in the beholder.
I’ve been reading a lot lately in different forms of media
about couples and their choice to go childless and I say good for them. Unfortunately, some are ridiculing those
couples and their choices, the latest accusation is by the Catholic Pope
Francis. All I can say is what exactly is the big deal about it? Why does it
concern others that some people have children and some do not? You don’t hear
anyone making a big stink about couples that choose to have children, so why
point fingers at those that chose not to have them. For reasons of my own, I
chose not to have children. I made that conscious decision a long time ago,
just after getting married. Oh-I thought about it once or twice, but in the
end, the way the world is and such, I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to do it. I
chose not to do it. It saddened my mother and mother-in-law at first. As time
went by, they didn’t ask me when I was going to have children. Either they
finally accepted it, or they figured that as time went by, I would change my
mind. I didn’t. Now, family asking this question was one thing, as with
friends. However, when strangers asked it used to irk me whenever someone would
ask the inevitable question, “When are you two going to have children?” And to
that I replied, “Never. I don’t want any.” I usually followed it with, “I don’t
need children to feel whole.” Because usually the asker was a woman that went
on to tell me how a woman wasn’t a whole woman until she had a child. B—sh-t!
That is oh so not true. Believe me, I know. Again, I ask, what is the big deal
about couples deciding to go childless? Perhaps, the way of the world scares
them about bringing children into the world and it should. Perhaps, they have
hereditary illnesses in their family tree that they’d rather not subject a
child too, which is a smart and selfless move.
There are a great many children in the world and not
everyone has a home to live in and a loving family to take care of them. You’d
be surprised how many children live in foster care in the U.S.A. and how many
should but don’t. Parenting isn’t an easy task and not everyone is cut out for
it. Not everyone wants to parent or finds the need to. So, why bother couples that chose not to have
children? I say, don’t. As a childless person, I’m proud to say that I don’t
have any children. I chose not to have them. As a result, my time is my own.
I’m never at loss for quiet, private time, or piece of mind. I can spend my
money as I please without worrying about buying clothes and saving for college
tuition. I don’t have to endure chaos every morning and every afternoon with
children in it. I don’t have to play chauffer or wet nurse. I don’t have to
deal with dirty, stinking diapers. And, I don’t mean any insult to those that
chose to have children. Be kind enough to accept my decision not to. I love
animals. I prefer to have animals in my home over children. There’s nothing
wrong with me for that and it’s my choice. I love children, just not enough to
have my own. I love my nieces and nephews and being able to say goodbye and go
home and live my life when I grow tired of their whining and begging and chaos.
I’ve been around enough children to be extremely grateful I chose not to have
any. Perhaps, in the olden days when Moses and Abraham walked the earth, we
mere humans were here to reproduce, but not anymore. There are too many of us
as there is. Many live in squalor and have nothing to eat on a daily basis.
Many live in shanties and can’t read or write. Many live in poverty. And this
is just in the U.S.A.
So, what’s wrong with being childless by choice and having
pets instead? Absolutely nothing. I applaud those that said I could but didn’t.
I applaud those that said maybe, but in the end said no thanks. I further
applaud those that said, I might, but I shouldn’t. Time and time again,
research data has shown that childless couples have happier marriages. I’m not
surprised. I see that among neighbors, friends and family, even acquaintances. Think
about it. A relationship with a pet, whether it is a dog, cat, lizard, horse, and
snake-whatever is not to be taken lightly. Pets are loving and loyal. They’ll
never cheat on you. They’ll never whine about you not understanding them and
lock you out of their rooms. They’ll
never yell at you for not expecting their privacy. They’ll never ask to drive
the car, forget to put gasoline in it or crash it into a tree. They’ll never do
drugs or commit a heinous crime. They’ll never take you for granted and they’re
a great deal easier to housebreak. Why the sudden need to criticize? Frankly,
there is no need, except for no other reason is that it goes against the norm
and that fact scares the heck out of a great many people. Or maybe, perhaps, those with children are a
bit jealous of those without. Whatever the reason, let each other be. Accept
each other and don’t criticize. Which is better? Children or Pets? Only you can
answer that: The answer is in the heart of the beholder.
