Piles of let-it-be-nothing-ma heading your way Raq. My money's on cyst.

Have only really skimmed, but much ~ma for Aims (I'm glad to hear she came home), Spidra and anyone else who needs it. And good-decision-on-children~ma for Glamcookie and DW.

Edit: Health~ma for amyth's brother and wishing-for-nothing~ma for Raq.

Children. The idea is anathema to me and always has been. (That may or may not be the remnants of my conservative Christian upbringing.) The Girl would love to have children. There are a lot of issues there, though. Not least that neither of us makes any money and I'm not physically up to looking after kids. (I would be with the right support, but that would necessitate having some money.) We met with my priest for our first pre-wedding discussion last night. He was really positive about our possibilities for kids. I'm not sure I want prayer for the blessing of children at my wedding, though. It's all a bit confusing.

my dad obviously believes he can just convince my brother to break up with his girlfriend of three-and-a-half years because it's not our culture.

I can relate. From the other side. (Although in my case, The Girl's parents think she's the evil corrupting one. Which is both funny and sad.) I hope your brother survives this, and that he can persuade your family that his girl is not evil.

Much nothing-much~ma to Raq.

Sean, I've been feeling the same way your earlier post described. Lucky for me I've never wanted kids, because at 42 it's very unlikely, even if I did wake up and find myself in a long-term relationship. But I do want to fall in love at some point. Doing so with someone who loves me back would be even better. It's hard to imagine either happening, though.

Masses of "it's nothing"~ma to Raq.

Much ~ma to you, Raq.

• joins the miserable singletons bench* I found out the other night that i've had an okcupid account for over 5 years due to some test or other. It is now more useful. Maybe.

My BFF decided to have a second child because both partners are from big families and they just couldn't imagine having only one child.

And much ~ma to Raq. May the nothingness be confirmed quickly.

I think my parents had me partially because my sister was a really good baby, and partially because it’s pretty uncommon in Ireland, even today, to only have one child. I can only think of one person I was in school with who had no siblings, and she was adopted by a fairly old couple.

Of course, after I was born, my sister was no longer a little angel, to the point where she couldn’t be left unwatched with me until I was two or so because she would try to hurt me. My mum says she started screaming when she came home with me and hasn’t stopped since (this is only slightly an exaggeration).

I’m at the point in my life where I know I should be thinking about having children, but I’m just really not sure. And if you’re not absolutely positively sure that kids are something you want, you maybe shouldn’t have them? I do know I’d really like a phd before even seriously considering it, so it’s at least four or five years down the road, even theoretically.

Raq tons of it's nothing-ma.

GC, definitely don't apologize for you question.

I’m at the point in my life where I know I should be thinking about having children, but I’m just really not sure. And if you’re not absolutely positively sure that kids are something you want, you maybe shouldn’t have them?

I always figured I wanted them, because that's what women are "supposed" to want in this culture (and, I suppose, most other cultures). But when I finally stopped and thought about what I actually wanted, I...really don't want kids. Very occasionally (like, once a year), I see a super-cute kid that makes me think, "Awww, she'd be cute to have around!" But that's not exactly maternal.

I don't feel defective for not having kids, but I do feel a little out of step for not wanting them.

Just-a-cyst~ma for Raq.

A few things that five or ten years ago I thought I'd never do/have, I've been proven wrong. I never would have thought that I'd end up back in Virginia, and happy to be here. The one thing you'd think I'd have learned, if nothing else, from my weird life is that you never do know what the future holds. What was that quote about how our ideas of the future are just stories we tell ourselves? I don't know anyone whose life turned out exactly the way they planned it or thought it would be. I agree that the best you can really do is have a bunch of contingency plans. Because Plan A never works! And then let it go and live for here and now.