Causation vs. Correlation

[lauralh]

So yeah I don't like children, and I think it's because I never did. How about you?

[Poll #244797]

Comments

[bixxy.livejournal.com]

I need to qualify my responses. For most of my life, I have haaaated children and and was about 85% sure I never wanted to have any. My conversion to kid-liking and wanting to have a kid occurred four years ago, when my nephew was born.

As for third grade, I was so popular, I was practically a celebrity. However, that all changed when I moved to a different school in fifth grade, where I was totally at the bottom of the totem pole. I managed to scrounge up two or three friends, but my social status remained pretty low for the rest of my school career.

Make of that what you will.

[cpf.livejournal.com]

1. Well-behaved, not necessarily silent-quiet. Just not loud, which well-behaved sort of implies.

2. Third grade was at a new school, but I never really clicked with more than one or two classmates at a time at that school. Too many damn yuppies.

[baroof.livejournal.com]

in gradeschool I was consistently voted "cutest boy in school" up until 6th. then this new kid moved in and I was demoted to 2nd place. bastard. things just went downhill from there.

Kidding around

[jeffdwright2001.livejournal.com]

I chose "Kids are the greatest" primarily because in raw form they are. It ultimately boils down to how they are raised (by ALL the family and friends).

Sure they can be irritating, but there is nothing like being on the receiving end of a child's love. Of course, there's very little worse than the feeling of breaking a child's heart.

Oddly enough, even the worst behaved child can actually be taught to behave in a relatively short period of time with the right words and responses. I submit some of my nephews who are classic spoiled when they can get away with it (because of their parents), but when they are with me it's yes Tio Jeff and no Tio Jeff. We have a great time without the hassle of behavioral baggage.

[n3koch4n.livejournal.com]

well behaved and interesting, please, just like any other person

[billyfleetwood.livejournal.com]

Kids rock! The worse they act, the more I like em. There's a reason it's called "childish" behavior. I consider it my #1 priority in life to never forget what it was like to be a kid. I think people who hate kids just envy their freedom.

Re:

[ernunnos.livejournal.com]

I made the same pact with myself when I was a kid.

I was a little shit who deserved to have his throat slashed, and the other kids were no better.

And I haven't forgotten.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

I like children for the most part but I am not going to start weeping and say everyone is precious. Because there are some horrid little beasts out there. I don't hold too much malice towards them. I have a greater problem with parents who don't appropriately raise their kids and then wonder why theirs turns into a stinker.
I have never found it "cute" when a child is smarting off, or throwing tantrums or screaming.

My great aunt put it best, you are doing your child no favors by letting them get away with everything.

Mind you when I was a child I didn't like most other children because I found most poorly behaved. I preferred adults. They didn't say so many awful and rude things to eachother. Of course that wasn't entirely the reality but they wouldn't do things like tease a child into tears.
I like some children now. I don't mind if they are being a bit loud. I do mind if they are being a bit uncivilized and snooty.

[sarahbliss.livejournal.com]

I hate kids. Nothing good about them.

Re:

[infinite-hiatus.livejournal.com]

amen. they're like snotty pets that talk back and aren't cute and cuddly.

As a mother of three, I must say,

[jette.livejournal.com]

I think the reason so many people hate kids, is that just like adults, 90% of them are just shits right out the gate.

However there is all this societal pressure to like all children. This sort of kowtowing to children - the whole "think of the children" gestalt. Children are now the driver of family life - people literally bend their whole existence to what they think is good for the children. This is a bunch of crap, the kids are either overwhelmed with this attention, it's too much pressure and they snap, or they get really bratty from believing they are the center of the universer. Either way, you see lots of harried parents who have given up their whole selves, literally, and lots of horrible children who no one can stand. No wonder more and more people are saying they be thrilled to live their whole lives without ever seeing any!