A few thoughts about having kids.
FYI: I have two kids and I am the oldest of six.
Kids will change your life in ways you can not imagine. I've known lots of parents to divide their lives into pre-kids and now. When kids are like luggage, when you carry them everywhere they go, they dominate your life. You can't travel or even go out for an hour without arranging their care. They can't be ignored.
That will pass after a decade or so but its a long-term commitment.
I find kids old enough to share ideas far more interesting than kids who are still luggage. And some of both my proudest and most unhappy moments have been associated with my kids as they have grown and developed.
My 18 year-old daughter got accepted into her first choice college yesterday. Great kid making good choices about her future, and making dad real proud these days. Not every day has been like yesterday.
My son is a fantastic help around the house and on my projects. Over this past weekend we installed new cabinets in our kitchen. I might have managed it without him, but its rewarding to teach a kid how to do that kind of thing, and great to watch your own kid carry some of the weight of life.
He helps with every significant old truck project and is fun to have around in ways that most friends can't compete with. If you get a good one, your kid will be one of your very best friends.
Getting a good one is more how you raise them than what they are born with. If you wait till you think you're ready to be a parent, you may never get there. On the other hand if you aren't ready to settle down and be there for your kids, you're not ready.
I'm approaching the empty nest stage of life, and while I'm proud of what my kids are becoming, and how I believe they are going to lead their lives, I'm also sad realizing that they will soon become independant of old dad and I know I'm going to miss them.
Kip listed some of his happiest moments. For me I'd have to say that my kids have been a big part of my happiest moments too, and I have far more happy memories of kids than bad or difficult memories.
