Dogs and Kids

Nope--I love kids as much as dogs.  Kids come across the street to talk to me--even so-called "bad" kids. 

Yeah, I don't think there's necessarily a correllation either...I love kids and can't wait to have a couple. []

Bah.  I don't think there is a correlation.  I think there is a preference or a choice.
 
I'm a parent of two boys and I also happen to be an animal lover!  I really don't think there's a correlation.

I don't know...

thats a no for me. i am a diehard animal lover, and i am just as in love with my kids.

I don't think there is a correlation, but I am not "ga ga" about kids.  Niether is my husband.  I'm at that age where most of my friends are trying to get pregnant.  It's kind of funny.  Most woman are competitive with each other.  You know..

Around 23, the first of the group of friends gets married and then the other girls start talking to their boyfriends about getting engaged...

Around 25, someone in the group of friends buys a house, everyone else follows in tow and buys a house.

And after that, someone in the group gets pregnant or announces they are trying and pretty soon all the other married girls are trying, except me.

I'm not even slightly interested in having children right now.  Not to get into politics but my husband and I are average middle class and I don't see how anyone can afford to have a child.  I mean it costs an average of $10,000 in hospital bills to give birth, and that's if the baby is healthy.  Right now my company pays for my health insurance, it does not cover prenatal anything.  We pay $130 a month for my self employed husband to have health insurance.  And I can imagine how much it costs for health insurance for a child.  We wouldn't be able to save a lick of a dime.  I'm sure we could make ends meet, but life would be very hard.  That will only cause marriage problems.  So it's just not affordable or worth my marriage to have children until health cost go down or until we can make more $.

I just don't want children bad enough right now.

Not to mention I'm 25 and look like I'm 16.  Last thing I want when I'm pregnant is for strangers to look at me like I'm some knocked up teenager.  It's supposed to be a happy time where your cherished not shunned.  My gosh, even my family has a hard time remembering I'm 25.  My 27 year old cousin gets suits and business clothes for gifts and she's a teacher.  My family is still buying me teenie bopper clothes and I'm a sales rep.

I don't see how anyone can afford to have a child. I mean it costs an average of $10,000 in hospital bills to give birth

 
while it is not easy, children are affordable, you find after having them that alot of the things you thought you needed for yourself are unecassary, which makes up for alot of money. i havent gotten the bill for my most recent whelping as of yet, but my first daughter was delivered at gerber hospital (yes, as in gerber baby food- it was invented and manufactured in that town ), which had the best birthing center i've ever seen or heard of....my bill was just over one thousand dollars, including doctors fees.
 
my dog costed me about the same in medical when i first got him!

Boy, am I glad I live in Canada! I didn't pay a cent to give birth to my baby and on top of that I get about $600/month from the government, but then, we're very low income (I stay home and DH is a full time student!).

Anyway, I've always loved animals more than all my siblings and friends, and I've also been very nervous around babies and kids. It's not that I don't like them, but until I actually had my own baby, I really didn't feel comfortable holding babies. In fact, I have a friend who has a baby five days before me and I didn't even want to hold her baby when I visited them in the hospital! I don't think there's a connection, though.

One funny thing is, though, when my son was born, DH said, "Well, I'm glad you like babies as much as you like animals."

i have 3 children 7 cats and a dog , oh and the other half lol , i love my animals just as much as my children , nothink would ever part us , and just to get something straight , i know you are not a teenager but might look like one , i have to say i was 15 when i had my first daughter nearly 9 years ago . and have to say yes sometimes you do get some nasty looks , but that was there problem i was happy with my life just as i am now , my other half works and i have just had to give up my work as my youngest son has started part time school , and my work place would not change my hours. and also i live in london so it didnt cost me to give birth , which i am very happy about it would have cost me thousands as in all 3 births there was major problems , but of course if i had to pay then i would have found the money some how just like i do with my animals.

I love animals, but really have no interest in children.  However, I know people who love both. 
 
 

i know you are not a teenager but might look like one

I am often mistaken for a teen mother. In fact, when I refer to my husband as my husband, people always say, "So... is he your boyfriend?" or "So... you're living together then?" I guess they assume young people just call each other husband and wife for no reason.

I love kids and animals, and will probably have some kids sometime in my future, but not until I graduate collage, get married, and live with my spouse a few years to get things figured out without adding a child into the equation. So, it will be a while.
But, I am one who can imagine having kids more than having a husband, or any romantic relationship and everything that goes along with that.

I don't necessarily think there's a correlation, but I do think that we have an innate knowledge that if we had kids, and a dog transgressed against it, we'd have to give the dog up.  Not worth the risk. []

Did anyone ever consider that we don't transfer our maternal (or paternal) instinct to our dogs, but that we get dogs so that other people will see how consumed we are by them and quit asking us why we aren't having kids?  Oh, and by the way, the questioning doesn't even stop with menopause..."Oh, aren't you sorry you never had kids?"  No, I didn't want them.  Yes, I like them (well behaved ones). No, I don't want to hold it.  Yes, I enjoyed having my BF's kids around.  No, I'm not sorry.  Some other woman had the labor pains, the expense, the anxiety, and Christmas every year except the one she was sick.  But, I get cards, visits, love, and my ceilings painted.  And, no one ever told me I had to get rid of my dogs.  All I ever heard was, "Annie, can we get a boy dog?"  Sure we can - enter the hound who trotted willingly beside bicycles until cars replaced him.  The same kid built my Dancer a half-step when the front big step was too high for her to climb...  You can like something without wanting one of your own.  I like Ferrari's - push comes to shove, I'd rather a truck.

ORIGINAL: gaylemarie

I don't see how anyone can afford to have a child. I mean it costs an average of $10,000 in hospital bills to give birth

while it is not easy, children are affordable, you find after having them that alot of the things you thought you needed for yourself are unecassary, which makes up for alot of money. i havent gotten the bill for my most recent whelping as of yet, but my first daughter was delivered at gerber hospital (yes, as in gerber baby food- it was invented and manufactured in that town ), which had the best birthing center i've ever seen or heard of....my bill was just over one thousand dollars, including doctors fees.

my dog costed me about the same in medical when i first got him!

I had a bad sinus infection this summer that cost me
$1500 dollars!!! My whole dedutable on my health insurance (CAT scan, 2 doctors visits, synthetic morphine shots, prescription pain killers, and an X ray).  The health insurance I have does not cover prenatal.  I would have to pay an extra $70 a month for that.  Not to mention it's such a pain to get them to give you a straight answer or even send me my statement of covered services.

I guess there are alot of people that have no problem living in-dept.  I would freak out if I had any dept.  If I can't pay something off in full, I won't buy it (except for my car and house and those we put a hefty down payment on)  I can't imagine having a child and paying for it's birth until it's 10 years old.  Ahhh. No way.