@kaufman

This is really well said. For a long time I didn’t prioritize having kids. The only reason I came around to it at all was that my wife always wanted a family, so when we were dating I made peace with it around the time I decided I wanted to spend my life with her. Up until the moment I held my daughter in the delivery room, I suspected that the elation with which parents spoke of their children was cope to make up for trading nights of popping bottles for nights of warming bottles. As soon as I held her, I realized how naive I’d been. I respect people’s choices to do what they want. I don’t even see not having kids as some ultra modern choice; the Neolithic village and pre-Neolithic bands were filled with individuals who didn’t produce offspring but nevertheless helped raise children. But after my Eve was born, rather than feel jealous of the proverbial DINK, as I sort of expected I might, I just felt profoundly sad that anyone would opt to forgo this fundamental human experience.

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