Spin off on 40 reasons NOT to have children...

[Kathryn]

For those that do have kids have you ever regretted having them?

[stardancer]

Not for a minute. Both my daughters turned out superbly, in spite of all the mistakes I made while they were younger. It was hard work bringing up kids and trying to instill good values, while running the household and being employed- well worth it.

One thing I will always remember- when some of us mothers were complaining, one of our friends said- 'Which one would you get rid of?' That stopped the complaining.

[canabiz]

I don't think people regret having kids Kathryn. They may turn out to be monsters or criminals but if you have given them enough love and affection and raised them to be law-abiding citizens and stuff still happens then that's beyond your control.

A somewhat small beef that I have is when people ask us whether we have any kids and we answer none, they look at us like there's something wrong. This is the 21st century folks. It is OK to be married and not to have kids. I don't want to say flat out that I don't want to have kids so I try to put a diplomatic spin on it like we are not ready.

I hope people understand and respect this as a personal choice. Not to mention couples who can't have kids naturally for medical reasons...i am sure you don't want to rub more salt on the wounds by showing your insensitive side, accidental or intentional.

[Kathryn]

I was just curious. The theme seemed to be in so many publications and blogs this month. I wondered what other parents thought of the issue.

I have never regretted having mine but nor have I gone through the teen years yet!

[dogcom]

The teen years are bad kathryn, but after that it does get better again. I never regret having kids even through the stupid teen years. I find kids alot more fun and interesting to have around then adults. It is hard to explain the simplicity and fun of having children to people who do not have them.

People spend all thier time earning for retirement and in the end it doesn't matter because they are alone and there is nothing to pass along to the next generation.

[Rickson9]

For those that do have kids have you ever regretted having them?

Would people actually admit to this on a public forum?

As an aside, I've spoken with a few parents who have grown children (adults really) who didn't say that they regretted having them, but did say that if they had the choice to do it all over again they would either a) not have children or b) have less children than they ended up having.

Of course I've also spoken to parents who have said that they don't regret it for a second and that their children were the best thing that has ever happened to them.

I think what I learned from this is that there are usually 2 sides to every coin.

[Rickson9]

One thing I will always remember- when some of us mothers were complaining, one of our friends said- 'Which one would you get rid of?' That stopped the complaining.

One of our friends had an answer for this. It wasn't a surprising answer considering we knew which child they were referring to.

[canabiz]

The latest figure on fertility rate has Canada ranked at #160 (out of #193 countries)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1260749/

Should Canadians have more children? I know Japan is ranked lower than us and they are worried about the impact on the Baby Boomers and senior folks.

Is immigration an answer for Canadians who don't want children or who don't want lots of them?