Someone sent me this article that ran on Time.com last week: Kid Crazy: Why We Exaggerate the Joys of Parenthood. I read it and was slightly appalled even though I agree with some of it. It's all about how kids are so expensive that they're an "economically silly investment", and that they're a drain on parents' happiness. We've seen that before (see Jennifer Senior's article in New York Magazine on kids: All Joy and No Fun) but the writer of this recent article, John Cloud, goes on to say that having kids makes parents delusional. Delusional because they're "in the grip of a giant illusion"; the illusion being that their kids are worth it. That's when I became interested because it is a new twist.
He compares having kids to any other foolish deal we make and the way we all then try to convince others and ourselves that it really was a good deal. Like when you spend more of your money than you should on a BMW because it really is "the ultimate driving machine", when you probably should have bought an Acura. Like when you buy an overpriced TV that you can show off because it's the latest in technology (like you need that). Like last week when I paid $400 for some cute shoes by Chloe and...well, I'm still trying to rationalize that one, but you get the point.
The article takes a tougher stance than I do. I never wanted kids and I usually try to limit my exposure to other people's kids to a few minutes (that way, they still seem cute), but even I wouldn't go so far as to say they're a foolish investment. A time suck, maybe, but not foolish. Plus, somebody's gotta do it, right? What do y'all think?
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