Why Having Kids To Satisfy Elders’ Wishes Or As Insurance For One’s Old Age Is A Bad Idea

As a young married woman, have you been asked, “So, any good news“? Take the call only when you are ready for it, for having kids is no child’s play.

Been married for X number of years – So where is the good news? If this question hasn’t been thrown at you time and again and you live in India, I would be gobsmacked. The age to marry, to procreate, then procreate again, so that your child has a sibling, everything seems to be decided by society here, isn’t it?

There are many couples who unfortunately cannot conceive, and they pray and try every possible way to become parents. But there are some – who do not want to have kids by choice. I see this trend of DINK( Double Income No Kids) on the rise. Though I am always conscious not to raise the “good news” question before anyone, I sometimes do take the liberty with good friends.

Today when I am a mother of a 10 month old, I have truly understood what it takes to be a parent. The cuteness factor apart, one gets much more than one has bargained for. It doesn’t baffle me anymore. In fact I respect her decision and it seems perfectly ok.

In case you have any doubts, I love being a parent and love my Angel to the moon. Motherhood has changed my life in a big way, and I do not have a shred of doubt about it being the right thing for me. I have always adored kids though I now truly realise what it is being a parent. One thing I was clear about though is having kids.

No conflict here – coming back to my colleague’s case, what I respect her for is not having kids when she didn’t intend to. I have seen lot of couples who though are personally not inclined towards having kids end up having them due to societal pressure (to prove that they are not impotent, see we are one complete family now, Mummy Daddy Baby) or to please their parents (beta my Aakhri Icha – last wish) or because they believe that they need someone to take care of them in their old age.

Have you heard of any lamer excuse? I would think having kids when you are not ready or just don’t want one – is the worse thing you can do to yourself and the baby. I have personally seen such people being unhappy and passing on the same unhappy spirit to the child as well.

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Then they hire an entourage of nannies, cooks, teachers to groom and raise the child, while they try to enjoy their life and live it the way they like, the kid craves for their attention, doesn’t get it and one fine day, he doesn’t need it. So why do you want a baby then?

I read an interesting article which raised this issue – it said rather than society asking people to justify why they don’t want a baby and trying to coax them to have one, the people who want to have a baby should be asked to justify why they want one.

Very often people don’t think twice, it’s just the most natural thing to do right. So why do we need to justify it, blasphemous! The point I am making here is – are you asking yourself if you are ready to have a child?

Ready emotionally, physically, financially in all respects? Parenting is a full time job – are you ready in the true sense to be available 24*7 for someone, put them to sleep while you sacrifice your sleep, tend to an ailing child, put up with his tantrums, try feeding him a meal while he runs around and refuses to open his mouth, as he grows be responsible for his studies, help him with his project work, and did you say what about me?

Well, forget about me time, does that even exist once you are a parent? There’s so much more to parenting and it’s a job for a lifetime, so think and think well before you take the plunge. I can vouch for it that it’s a beautiful journey. It has made me laugh, made me cry, brought out this new facet of writing in me that I never knew even existed, and though it’s a challenge to find time for myself, hubby-wife time, movie time, eating my meal in peace time – I could still not think of having it any other way.

Lets not forget – a little child brought into the world by us looks up to us for care and support for a good part of her life. We can give our best only when we are ready for it. It’s important to make a conscious decision and in case you decide in the affirmative or decide to wait longer, both are perfectly legitimate options.

It also calls for us as a society to stop putting undue pressure on couples and let them decide when they want to give us the ‘good news’.

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Published here earlier.

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