# How much do you like kids? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 26, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087 "2010-07-26T19:06:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/41 "2010-07-26T21:37:00Z")
Next poll should be about teens. I loathe them as a rule. Anyway, little kids are okay as long as they behave and don’t get too hyper. Including my own. I love her to bits but she drives me crazy. If she wasn’t mine, I’d probably think her mama needed to do something about her antics. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/42 "2010-07-26T21:40:10Z")
Bi female who doesn’t like being in charge of kids, but doesn’t mind being around them. I’m not very good at communicating with kids, and I have trouble understanding what they want or how to keep them amused and out of trouble. I think looking after children is always a chore, and not enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/43 "2010-07-26T21:40:27Z")
I love kids! They’re hilarious and entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/44 "2010-07-26T21:42:59Z")
Poll is too narrow. I’m not crazy about kids, nor am I particularly good with them in general. But I am tolerant of them and I can find the cuteness and enjoy their company for limited stretches of time. I smile at cute kids, go awwww at the adorable ones, laugh at the funny ones, quietly curse the pains in the ass. I just don’t usually _prefer_ their company and I burn out on them fairly quickly. ETA: Straight male, no kids ( but several nieces and a nephew ). ---
**Author:** ![El\_Nene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/da6949/32.png) [@El\_Nene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Nene)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/45 "2010-07-26T21:50:20Z")
Straight male. I can tolerate kids for a very short time. I can stand my own for a couple of hours a day but twenty minutes tops for other kids. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/46 "2010-07-26T21:54:08Z")
I love my kids. Small babies are cute and I’ll hold one for a while (as long as it’s happy). But other than that, I’m not really interested until they get interesting, in their teens. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/47 "2010-07-26T22:40:53Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Your poll is narrow, chump! I neither love nor hate kids. Some specific kids I don’t like the company of, and there are a small handful I genuinely love. Most of them I would prefer to be out of sight, out of mind, but I don’t actively object to their existence or anything. I vote for this. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/48 "2010-07-26T23:04:43Z")
I hate all children. ---
**Author:** ![Acantha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Acantha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acantha)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/49 "2010-07-26T23:07:06Z")
I think children from toddler to about age 6 are delightful. Tweens and early teens make me stabby. Babies I like in small doses, depending upon how much they cry. Once they reach about 15 or 16 they become human again and I like them. If we could just cut out those middle years between 6 and 15 things would be great. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/50 "2010-07-26T23:08:18Z")
I voted “Straight female here. In general, I love being around kids; exceptions are few.” But what I really wanted was: “Straight female here. In general, I love being around **other people’s** kids; exceptions are few. **But I don’t want any of my own.** ” I like kids, I’ve found. They used to terrify me. But what I’ve realized is that the kids themselves are pretty neat, it’s the responsibility that sends me over the edge. So I like kids when I can just play and enjoy them for who they are. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/51 "2010-07-26T23:20:38Z")
I like kids. On the whole, I think I like them more than I like grownups. They’re happier and more animated than adults. They can still be cruel and petty, but not with the guile and corruption of adults. I find having kids in the neighborhood relaxing, even when they’re doing the little-girl screaming thing. I think that’s sweet, compared to assholes with Harleys or boom-cars. Yes, they’re selfish and loud and mess with things, but that’s their job. No, they don’t offer intelligent conversation. Most adults don’t either. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/52 "2010-07-26T23:25:57Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > I voted “Straight female here. In general, I love being around kids; exceptions are few.” But what I really wanted was: > > “Straight female here. In general, I love being around **other people’s** kids; exceptions are few. **But I don’t want any of my own.** ” > > I like kids, I’ve found. They used to terrify me. But what I’ve realized is that the kids themselves are pretty neat, it’s the responsibility that sends me over the edge. So I like kids when I can just play and enjoy them for who they are. It’s my own fault for breaking it down by both sexual orientation and by gender. Ran out of space in the poll. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/53 "2010-07-27T00:36:46Z")
I think it’s a dumb question. Nobody ever asks, “Do you like adults?” and expects you to answer yes or no about the category as a whole. The answer is, it depends on personality, just as it does with adults. Even some babies are more personable than others. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/54 "2010-07-27T00:54:27Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > It’s my own fault for breaking it down by both sexual orientation and by gender. Ran out of space in the poll. ☹ Skald ol’ pal, this thread was probably better done as an essay question. Maybe this is the impetus you need to simplify your polls–you could start by manning up and only having two choices for yes/no questions (those two choices being (i) yes and (ii) no). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/55 "2010-07-27T00:54:31Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > > > You’re biologically forced to love your own kids - otherwise everyone would just kill them. > > I think both of those clauses are untrue, at least for males. I dunno; it’s the only explanation I can think of for why so many children survive to adulthood. > [@kayaker](#): > > I love my kids and spend as much time as I can with them. Strangers’ children and I have nothing in common that I’d wanna explore. > > I was purposely ignoring a _very_ badly behaving child the other day. Mom came up to me and said, “Oh, you don’t like children, huh?” > > I answered, “Not yours!” My brother-in-law whose daughter was and is a hellbeast always used to call us child-haters; so many times we had to bite our tongues to not say, “We don’t hate kids; we just hate YOUR kids.” ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/56 "2010-07-27T06:41:40Z")
Straight male, voted “hate all kids”, and that’s generally true with the following caveat… the only exception to the rules are my nephew and niece, (9 and 6, respectively) my niece has a cute-but-evil streak, a deviousness that’s heartwarming, my nephew is rapidly turning into a mini version of me, which is quite frankly, terrifying, one of me is bad enough… He’s got a love of Doctor Who, and often will stop over just to watch episodes with me on my MacBook, he loves taking things apart to see how they work, has a very analytical mindset, we were chatting this evening about my job as a computer tech, and he was intrigued that i am basically paid to take things apart and put them back together again. he’s also an outdoorsy kid who is finally showing some emotional maturity, thanks in part to joining the cub scouts, he’s actually got a cub scout knife that he was proudly showing off to me, and was handling and using it _very_ safely, I think he may end up inheriting one of my Swiss Army Knives at his next birthday, as he’s showed admirable responsibility. He’s been showing an interest in getting into the shooting sports as well, his cub scout troop has been teaching shooting skills with the BB gun, about a week ago, he ran up to me and enthusiastically showed me his first BB gun target, and he didn’t do half bad for a first timer, most of his hits were in the 8-10 rings… I’m planning on taking him to my Rod and Gun club at some point (assuming my sis approves…) in the near future, and starting him off with a _real_ rifle, probably the Ithaca 49 single-shot lever action that Dad taught me to shoot on, Dad no longer shoots (sadly), I’d love to have both Dad and Logan down at the range, I’ll start Logan off with primer-only CB Shorts and CB Longs (just a tad more powerful than a pellet rifle), and at some point introduce him to trapshooting with the old .410 single-shot shotgun, until then, I can have him be my trap throwing assistant Okay, back on track, my feelings on kids in general are; Babies; annoying, noisy, smelly, and basically look like potatoes-with-faces, I avoid them at all costs, much like a vampire is repelled by crosses and garlic Toddlers; annoying, screechy shrieking banshees, possessive, annoying little shits, I also avoid them Preschoolers; not as annoying as babies and toddlers, but still annoying, still, avoid at all costs grade schoolers; at this point, it depends on the kids as they are developing a personality, if the personality is that of a shrieky, self-centered little brat, or any other jerkish, self-centered behavior, avoid Basically, _I_ determine how much or how little time I spend around kids, and I prefer it to be as little as possible, but I’ve been warming to my nephew and niece, especially since they’re developing personalities that I don’t find irritating, still, given a choice, I’d prefer to avoid kids entirely ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/57 "2010-07-27T06:48:16Z")
Children’s librarian here – I love kids, especially the kind who use libraries. But I like people in general. Teens and young adults are cool too. They keep us geezers on our toes. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/58 "2010-07-27T08:16:01Z")
Straight male no kids, but love my two nieces, hate all other kids. My nieces have been raised to NOT be little fucking monsters, and I appreciate that. Joe ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/59 "2010-07-27T09:39:19Z")
Straight female, chose \*I don’t fit into any of your narrow categories, chump. \* I don’t have kids of my own and don’t plan to. I’m ambivalent about being around kids. I generally like children, babies not so much. I’m pretty tolerant of normal kid behaviour, but get annoyed when I see repeated bad behaviour not being corrected, but that annoyance is directed at the parents, not the child. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087/60 "2010-07-27T10:10:30Z")
I get along with most children seeing as it’s my job (teacher) but I don’t like all children any more than I like all adults. I do want children of my own someday. My boyfriend wants kids too, but any day we spend time with his nephews and niece, I think he starts to reconsider. They are sweet children but quite the handful. Just a few hours with them is completely exhausting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-like-kids/548087.md?page=4)