Comments on: Parents Speak Up and Out http://taoofchange.com/2008/10/27/parents-speak-up-and-out/ Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:42:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jeannie Newell http://taoofchange.com/2008/10/27/parents-speak-up-and-out/#comment-1456 Jeannie Newell Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:54:26 +0000 http://taoofchange.com/?p=511#comment-1456 Thanks for this! Also - advice from Ted Turner - couples should replace themselves (2 child maximum) in consideration of the increasing world population. If they want to, that is! Thanks for this! Also – advice from Ted Turner – couples should replace themselves (2 child maximum) in consideration of the increasing world population. If they want to, that is!

]]> By: tao http://taoofchange.com/2008/10/27/parents-speak-up-and-out/#comment-1439 tao Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:57:28 +0000 http://taoofchange.com/?p=511#comment-1439 PERFECTLY SAID Sami~~~ that covers everything and hits it right on. Thanks for your comment. It helps everything to be able to look at balance, perspective and different paths honored. I also hope we stop digging at folks who have no children yet are leading fulfilling, giving and productive lives. PERFECTLY SAID Sami~~~ that covers everything and hits it right on. Thanks for your comment. It helps everything to be able to look at balance, perspective and different paths honored. I also hope we stop digging at folks who have no children yet are leading fulfilling, giving and productive lives.

]]> By: Sami Grover http://taoofchange.com/2008/10/27/parents-speak-up-and-out/#comment-1438 Sami Grover Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:44:15 +0000 http://taoofchange.com/?p=511#comment-1438 Thanks for this TAO, I am always glad to see folks willing to speak up and express these uncomfortable truths - that parenting isn't an obligation; that childlessness can be a positive choice for self and for society; and that having children is hard frickin work. I'm sick to death of folks pushing the idea that parenting is the obvious conclusion for folks, and that folks who take a different route are somehow not complete, or not grown up enough. If you'll permit me to go off on a related tangent though - I do get tired of the zero population growth advocates too - the folks who say the only responsible choice is to not have kids. While TECHNICALLY they are right - we'd all be better off if every conscious wannabe parent adopted - I just see no realistic way of reaching that society, and I see it branding us greenies as fanatics. A much more realistic, and productive, scenario is one that I believe this post is in allignment with - we need to create a society that CELEBRATES adoption, CELEBRATES conscious childlessness, CELEBRATES limiting the number of children you have - and we need to create a society that STOPS demonising/patronizing/ignoring the childless, STOPS demaning/underfunding/underewarding adopters/foster parents, STOPS glorifying giant families and the WONDEr of parenthood at all costs, but also STOPS digging at the folks who have a small number of children and do it well. Balance in all things - great to see it being discussed. Thanks for this TAO,

I am always glad to see folks willing to speak up and express these uncomfortable truths – that parenting isn’t an obligation; that childlessness can be a positive choice for self and for society; and that having children is hard frickin work. I’m sick to death of folks pushing the idea that parenting is the obvious conclusion for folks, and that folks who take a different route are somehow not complete, or not grown up enough.

If you’ll permit me to go off on a related tangent though – I do get tired of the zero population growth advocates too – the folks who say the only responsible choice is to not have kids. While TECHNICALLY they are right – we’d all be better off if every conscious wannabe parent adopted – I just see no realistic way of reaching that society, and I see it branding us greenies as fanatics.

A much more realistic, and productive, scenario is one that I believe this post is in allignment with – we need to create a society that CELEBRATES adoption, CELEBRATES conscious childlessness, CELEBRATES limiting the number of children you have – and we need to create a society that STOPS demonising/patronizing/ignoring the childless, STOPS demaning/underfunding/underewarding adopters/foster parents, STOPS glorifying giant families and the WONDEr of parenthood at all costs, but also STOPS digging at the folks who have a small number of children and do it well.

Balance in all things – great to see it being discussed.

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