I’m not overly fond of babies. I will go and see a new mom who has brought the kidlet to the office for the first time, but I don’t hold or gush.
VCNJ~
My wife finds babies cute and all, but doesn’t fawn over them and certainly never has a desire to hold one. She’s generally good with kids but doesn’t get overly sentimental about them. We don’t have any of our own (never will), so it’s never something we invest much into; a get together with some of our parent friends periodically is more than enough exposure for either of us.
I pretty much went out of my way to avoid babies and toddlers until I hit my mid-thirties. Just the idea of holding one, much less baby-sitting one, would give me a small anxiety attack. Then, out of the blue, I had some kind of biological shift that made babies actually a little… fascinating. Not that I would want to hold or care for someone else’s baby (eeegad!), but maybe I would kind of, sort of, like one of my own. It’s all hormonal, I tell ya, and makes no sense to my otherwise logical brain.
Anyhow, fast forward a few years, and I am now 5 months pregnant with my own. I have a pretty strong feeling I will have fun with my kid, but I still have to suppress the urge to run out of any room that contains other people’s small children.
Puppies, on the other hand, along with various other furry baby animals absolutely melt me and bring out a crazy nurturing instinct. And they’re a hell of a lot cuter than small, fat, hairless humans with bowling ball heads. So, after this kid, I may just stick to fostering puppies and kittens.
My “now on maternity leave co-worker” keeps bringing in her little girl. Yes, I suppose the little one is cute but not really my cup of tea.
I never quite know what to say.
Is this a female thing?
Guy here, with a 20 month old son, still awaiting the supposed substantial social benefits of being a parent. 
So far, unless one could call “lack of much of an adult social life” an advantage, all I got is those advantages that flow from having the little guy around and basking in his company. 
Ditto, all the way. When I was growing up, I never cared for baby dolls or wanted to baby-sit (and I never did; my leisure was more important than the money). I told my father when I was sixteen that I wouldn’t marry until I was at least 30 and would probably never have kids (not because of the bio clock, but for lack of wanting) and he just didn’t take me seriously. Well, I’m now almost 39, have never had one minute’s worth of baby-lust in my life, and remain more confirmed than ever that in remaining free of these entanglements I’ve done the right thing – for me.
And I love my little niece and nephew very, very much and have been spoiling them to death since before they were forming any permanent memories, and even so, I still come away from every visit or get-together with a big “WHEW!”.
Mostly. In some families you only get the approval bonus if you’ve produced sons.
Really more of an Asian thing, but definitely more a female thing than males. Although…the eldest son is the father of this new rugrat, so he already got a lot of extra attention by dint of being eldest son. Another Asian thing.
Oh yes. I love my nieces and nephews too. Having a childless aunt is a wonderful thing for kids! They need someone to spoil them rotten. But I’ll be happy when this niece is of an age to be interesting. Say 17. 
I was going to write a long, explanatory post about how child-free people are viewed and treated in our society, but it comes off as too whiney and self-pitying. Suffice to say that you are a member of the vast, comfortable majority.
And yes, it is worse for childless-by-choice women than childless-by-choice men.
I love babies. I’ve always loved babies, and babies have always loved me. They fall asleep easily on my chest, in my arms, in the backpack, etc. ( I’m six foot two and male ) Luurve babies. I walk into a room with 35 adults and 1 baby? I see the baby first. ( this happened to me in Detroit in spring of 2006. )
My wife is not a baby person. I am. --shrug-- So? So I was up more in the middle of the night walkin’ the carpeting while a crying kid settled down. Fine by me. I never saw it as me doing more of the “hard work”.****** I think babies can sense anger or tension and it just winds them up. So, I got em a lot more of the time. Hell, when I was 13 1/2 I started volunteering on a Pediatrics Ward and did it for 3 years, once a week, year round. By the time I had my own babies, I’d changed diapers on… hmm… easily 500 different babies I had no connection to? Easily.
When SIL had a baby last December, it was the most enjoyable part of the family get-together. Sitting and holding little Budd as he fell asleep against me. Pure heaven.
Having said all of this, you are not insane. Not everyone should like or love everything. I respect that point of view and would be annoyed if someone in a work place or social event assumed that along with being a woman you adored babies. It’s presumptuous and insulting.
Cartooniverse
****** The kids are adopted so no, she didn’t do “her fair share of hard work” delivering them. We had our babies at the airport.
This is not the first time your thoughts and my thoughts have matched up really closely. Are you me?
Hmmm…
Give us an update on this opinion in …oh, say another 8-10 months.
(regarding your OWN fat hairless human that is).
Yes. Yes I am. I’m surprised you didn’t notice.
Hear hear! I just turned 40, and I can feel my eggs just shriveling up. About friggin’ time!