I bet you meant to say "kids are NOT puppies"....didn't you?

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Say fellas,
If you wished your father Happy Fathers Day yesterday, did you think to ask him why the heck he had kids, anyway?


"Dad, I don't like kids. I don't want to have kids! Ever!"

"Son, your mother wanted to stop when your sister was born, but I talked her into one more..you!"



Don't worry, be happy.
The Catholics will keep the growth rate positive.
(Say, aren't there 4 or 5 Catholics on the Supreme Court?)


Yes, when you have children, you might as well take two 10 penny nails, one for each foot, and nail them to the floor. Your'e grounded!

You are correct, sir! Thank you for imortalizing my incorrect comment, Tom. I'm really going to have to start proof reading these things better . . . .

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Ask your parents if thats true.

I'll be happy as long as I don't have to take care of my kids when I'm old. Everybody is on track so far. I've done a pretty good job of teaching them to be selfsufficient, I think. The younger daughter will be learning how to do at least a few repairs on her 300TD as well as the routine maintenance stuff. Her older sister knows how to take car of her car pretty well. They may be girls, but they're not going to be HELPLESS girls!

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Nice to see some air time for the childfree choice. The story was reasonably well balanced, though you know somebody's gonna write to the network, snarling, "If you don't like kids in restaurants, get used to it! Or go to your own childless places!" (Forgetting, as always, that there are almost no "childless places.")

"Childless" connotes "something missing," that a childless person wants to have kids but can't. "Childfree" is a lot better. In English, we don't say that a healthy person is "disease-less," we say "disease-free."
.

__________________
* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

I like to say about mine, he's a devil, but he's MY devil.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Yep. Kids in general are a pain in the ass. I've never wanted any but my girlfriend has two. At least these ones are faily decent and we get along well together so that helps.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

As long as you're happy with the choices you make, there are no wrong choices, I think. That applies to kids and to everything else in life.

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

I think that some part of them thinks that it is the natural thing to do. Get married and then have kids. I don't think that many people discuss it seriously or just gloss over the details when discussing kids. Maybe it is the societal pressure to have kids that gives them a push in that direction?

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Yeah, the Life Script (tm) reinforced by the Herd Instinct.

My first wife and I never even thought about the kids thing. I mean, we discussed it, we were both on the same page, end of meeting. Wife No. 2 kept trying to talk me into it. I pointed out to her that (a) we spent everything we made, so how could we afford one or two tiny humans; (b) that her "experience" helping with her grandmother's daycare center was no real experience in childrearing at all; and (c) we were having too much fun as grownups.

She didn't listen, of course. She went off and had at least one kid with a guy who (to hear her tell it) was a lunatic. I consider I dodged a large-caliber, high-velocity bullet.
.

__________________
* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

I love my daughter, but I also love the fact she's grown and on her own. I can definitely relate to those who choose to not have children. There were times I wish I had made the same choice.

Now that it's done I can see my life has been greatly enriched by fatherhood, though to be truthful the experience was not due to my conscious choice but rather something that just happened to me owing to my own lack of foresightedness. Sometimes I get lucky even if it takes a long time to realize it.

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2002 E320 4-Matic
2008 Subaru Outback
2009 Subaru Forester

The past partners, quite often are portrayed as being lunatics, jerks, etc, etc.

In our case, I was lukewarm about it and she was not interested. As such, it fails my test:

1. Can you afford kids?
2. Do you want to afford kids?
3. Do you have time for kids?
4. Do you want to make time for kids.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Oh, I know. I knew the guy slightly, and he did seem to have some mental body cladding loose, but the same thing could have been said of me when I was that age and still drinking.

With Wife No. 2, however, you'd do well in speaking with her to carry along an entire salt lick -- taking what she says with a grain of salt wouldn't be enough -- and if she says the sky is blue you'd better check for yourself.
.

__________________
* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

It's happened to my uncle in ME (in his 50's now) for now the fourth time in my memory (actually the first one was a divorce). He'll date them for 7 or so years until their biological clock starts ticking and they move on, settle down and have kids. My brother, sister and I were the only kids ever allowed in his house.

I did my part in keeping the family average up, though.

We take our kids everywhere that would be considered child-appropriate and expect them to behave themselves. They are generally well behaved and quiet although they can and do act up every now and then, at least for how we expect them to carry themselves. I can say we are never the ones, with or without children, that stand out in a busy restaurant even with 4 kids in tow. That is until we leave and the two youngest ones feel the need to high five and wave goodbye to everyone we walk by.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)