Why have kids?

We had a Christmas potluck lunch today, and there is one pregnant girl in the office. The question came up……”why does anyone have kids?” Well – that sure stumped me! “Why?” I ask myself “WHY?” “Hmmmmm-why did I have kids?” Well – firstly – I was at an age where “I thought sex was fun” (when one gets older – one gets wiser! This is no longer one of my thoughts…..don’t feel sorry for hubby – he’s not hard done by! (Excuse the pun!)). Secondly – I guess I was a tad thick, stupid, brain dead, whatever - from having my first kid – that I had a second one! I think I thought that eventually one would keep the other company, busy and out of trouble.....oh how wrong I was!) The question came up – if you could go back would you be childless or still have kids what would you do? – would you HAVE kids – cause that is the way of nature(?) or not?
Diz: (politely) I believe that is sort of personal, and I really don’t feel like answering you.
Other: Come on….enlighten us!
Diz: Okay – well – you asked…..First off – most people that I know who don’t have kids – initially seemed quite happy – then they seem to end up getting divorced-not that some people with kids don’t get divorced too – but these people end up being conceived as lonely old geezers and hags – with no purpose or direction in their lives! What about their own mortality? Does THAT ever cross their minds? The passing of the gene pool? Like the Olympic Torch?! ……Then I sort of stopped myself from going into a “Dizzy Rant” and asked or rather TOLD them all – “This is rather personal…..since when did it become regular conversation in an office (other than an OBGYN) to talk about other people’s reproductive organs, their reproductive habits, and the primal urge that ALL must have at one time or another or have children? HOW DARE they assume (and they were assuming)….that people who don’t have kids don’t have full lives…..they always regret their choice…..they would “so love them” when they finally arrived…..that these childless people are going against the natural order of things…that they are selfish people…it was patronizing and insulting as far as I was concerned. Having children is not a right – and who knows – those kids that weren’t born may be better off………(though I am not sure what I meant by that!) and holy crap – it’s not the first 14 years that’ll kill ya – it’s the second 14 years of a child’s life that makes you wish you had stayed barren! My suggestion to these childless people….next time someone asks why you don’t have kids – or if you ever plan on having kids……………dive directly into a diatribe of lies that have something to do with some tragic, elaborate state of health – something involving cancer, flawed genetics, you married your cousin or perhaps a small explosion! Just trying to help…DIZ