I stand by my assertion that anyone who's thinking of having children should spend at least an hour grocery shopping with two hyperactive preschoolers. My sister disagrees, saying that the experience "isn't representative" of being a parent. That's kind of the point; after all, a week's vacation with your sweetheart isn't representative of the whole relationship either.
The "should" may depend on one's goal. There are undertakings that would arguably be less than adequately supplied if the people involved always knew what they were getting into. :-) (Not that I've much interest in shopping with hyperactive preschoolers myself, to be sure.)
On the other hand, people do have more than one child, indicating that experience isn't always a deterrent. Or that hope can triumph over experience, I suppose. :-) (Some parents do seem surprised to discover that the truisms they thought they'd learned from the previous child[ren] turn out to be less universal than they'd imagined, but even that seems more likely with #2 than with #3 or above.)
no subject
Date: 2005-12-23 06:51 am (UTC)The "should" may depend on one's goal. There are undertakings that would arguably be less than adequately supplied if the people involved always knew what they were getting into. :-) (Not that I've much interest in shopping with hyperactive preschoolers myself, to be sure.)
On the other hand, people do have more than one child, indicating that experience isn't always a deterrent. Or that hope can triumph over experience, I suppose. :-) (Some parents do seem surprised to discover that the truisms they thought they'd learned from the previous child[ren] turn out to be less universal than they'd imagined, but even that seems more likely with #2 than with #3 or above.)