I was thinking things over a few weeks back and realised that since I spent two weeks with my nephew 3.5 years ago, my attitude to (pre-pubescent) children has completely changed. Previously I not so much liked children as tolerated them. Now I find myself incredibly indulgent. Very quick to praise, and slow to ire, let alone anger. Even being woken during the night by a crying child hasn’t troubled me.
Funny that.
Still, I’m glad I don’t have to change their nappies.
I’ve gone from not caring about them one way or the other (but never wanting one of my own) to finding them really very annoying in general.
Not sure when I turned into such a curmudgeon… but I think it was around the time all my friends started pumping out babies and suddenly there was no such thing as a conversation that wasn’t continuously interrupted by the noise of children, or completely and utterly revolved around them, or both.
I’m sure I’ll grow out of it, eventually. Of course, whether I’ll still be interested in maintaining those friendships that long is another thing. I appreciate that people think their kids are the most fascinating, adorable creatures on this earth, but surely they can wax rhapsodical about them with *other *parents and spare me having to smile weakly while the angels in question interrupt every five seconds, crumble biscuits into my furniture, put sticky fingers over everything, harass my cats, yell and argue…and did I mention the constant interruptions?
I suspect fewer people opted for childless-by-choice lifestyles back when young parents’ lives didn’t revolve so much around their children. Parenting is a bigger commitment now than ever - not just of your love, lifestyle, time and money, but of you, in ways you wouldn’t think had anything to do with this new person in your lives.
My attitude hasn’t changed - I adore babies, even crying babies, but after age 2 I don’t have much use for them.
Now that our 3 kids are between 16-20, we find that we have very little interest in young kids - say 10 or younger. They just don’t do or say anything of interest. Pretty much “Been there, done that.” And we have little tolerance for “Isn’t that cute!” distractions from adult conversation/activities.
I hope our attitude changes should we ever have grandkids.