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Want to have a
baby? Make sure it's for the right reasons -- because you love children and are emotionally and financially prepared
for the responsibility of raising one or more of your own.
There are many reasons for wanting a child. Too many, however, are based on false assumptions and
can potentially result in a baby being born to parents who are unable or unwilling to care for it.
First of all, giving birth does not make you more of a woman, and fathering a child does not make you more of a man.
Even the most primitive animals can mate and breed. My gerbils produced several litters before I separated them.
Secondly, it's naive to want to have a baby so you'll have someone to love you. It doesn't work that way.
Babies don't emerge from the womb loving you. But they do come into the world with A LOT of needs that it's up to their
parents to meet.
You do not have an "obligation" to reproduce because you come from
a fantastically superior gene pool, or because your parents want to become grandparents. The decision to become a mother
or father is a highly personal one.
Do you
love your partner so much that you long to produce a miniature version of him or her? This sounds noble but when taken
by itself is not a compelling enough reason for conceiving a baby. First of all, that baby will be his or her own person,
with his/her own mind and personality, not a carbon copy of either one of you. And second, if things go sour between
you and your mate, how will you feel towards the child afterward? And are you prepared to raise a child alone should
your partner die or leave you? Think about it.
Nor is it EVER a good practice for a woman to
become pregnant in order to get her boyfriend to marry her, or to save a marriage that already has its problems. The
short explanation is that it won't work. First and foremost, a baby should be wanted (and planned) by both parents.
Should a woman turn up with a "surprise" pregnancy, her man may "do the right thing" and marry her, but if he hadn't already
loved her enough to marry her beforehand, his heart won't be in the union and chances are the marriage will not last.
By the same token, having a child will not strengthen a weak marriage. Raising a child involves such a complex
web of problems in itself that attempting to do so with the added strain of a poor marriage can, in fact, tear that marriage
apart for good.
Babies are not dolls. They cannot be tossed aside when you're tired of taking care of them.
Babies are tiny, helpless human beings who are 100% dependent on YOU. They need 24-hour-a-day care. This means
that you do not have the luxury of walking away from the baby if you don't feel well, if you're having a bad day or a migraine
or an upset tummy. You don't get a "vacation" from parenthood. Nor do you get to go out partying with your friends
every night. Once you have your first child, those days are over.
Children also cost money, and a lot of it.
Ask anyone who has them.
Once you make a decision to bring a child into the world, that child must come first, before anyone
and anything else. That baby didn't ask to be born; this was YOUR decision. And don't kid yourself by saying the
pregnancy was accidental. All pregnancies start off the same way. You had sex, correct? Unless the contraception
failed for some reason, it was no accident. I don't buy that wide-eyed innocent "I don't know how it happened."
YOU know how it happened.
Take responsibility! Don't introduce another child into society unless and until you know what
raising a child entails. Learn everything you can about birth control. Read up on baby and child care. Take
parenting classes. If possible, spend a day with a young mother. The time to do this is BEFORE conception.
If you're old enough to engage in sexual intercourse, you're old enough to be responsible about it. Don't like condoms?
TOO BAD. Don't want to take the Pill because it might make you gain weight? Wait'll you see how much you gain
if you DON'T take it!!!
Life does not have to be devoid of romance or closeness. If you care about somebody, it's hard
to say no. You don't necessarily have to say no. Just say wait! Use your common sense, maturity, and protection!
DON'T LET ANYBODY FORCE YOU INTO THIS VERY PERSONAL, EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DECISION!!!
CLICK HERE TO READ BIRTH
CONTROL: WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T (Very important!!!)
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