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Tuesday, May 06, 2003
Reproduction Well, maybe I'm not such a bizarre, hideous freak of nature: Studies show that couples who choose not to have children are happier than those who do. (If you don't subscribe to Salon.com, you have to watch an annoying commercial before you can read the article.) I don't know if we'll be happier than any given couple, but we'll certainly be happier without children than we would be with them. Especially since I just plain don't get children. It's not a matter of like or dislike, but of sheer indifference. You know the "awwww" reaction that people get when they look at something cute or appealing? I get that over rats, but not babies. I just...I just don't get it. I find the idea of pregnancy repulsive (think of that scene from Alien), the idea of childbirth both repulsive and terrifying, and the idea of actually having children...just plain unappealing. The only reason I can ever think of to have children is so I can have somebody to take care of me in my old age, which is clearly not a good reason. This has long disturbed me; it seems like I'm fundamentally lacking one of the most basic aspects of any living being. But apparently I'm not alone: Cain has come to believe that lack of interest in childbearing might be biological, like being gay. "Researchers have found that within mice there is a gene, the Mest gene. When it was in place in mice, and the mouse gave birth, it was a nurturing mother. When the mouse was Mest-deficient, it was a non-nurturing mouse. I think down the line we're going to discover that just as homosexuality is something that's physical, the same thing will be discovered about women. Why do some women melt at the sight of babies while other women are indifferent? It would seem to me it's something innate."I've seen those mice; what this article fails to mention is that, not only are they non-nurturing, they tend to eat their babies. And I've used the same metaphor before, talking about how I feel there's something wrong with me: "If I was a mouse, I'd be one of those ones who eats her babies." Fortunately, unlike a mouse, I can choose not to bear offspring. And if it's biological, it's as much a part of me as my non-heterosexuality; and yes, that's not normal (or at least not typical), but it's not the most incredible bizarre horrendous thing in the world, either. Sigh...I've always known I'm not normal; it's just nice to know that not being normal doesn't necessarily mean I'll be miserable. [ at 3:33 PM • by Abby • permalink • ] |
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