You have to have a license (or be of a certain age) to do a lot of things.
You have to be 16 to get your license, and you have to have a license to drive.
You have to be 18 to buy cigarettes.
You have to be 21 to buy alcohol.
You have to go to school for, and get a license to be, a doctor. A teacher. A CPA. A beautician, for crying out loud.
You have to get a license to get a gun. You have to be 18 to vote (and, you know, be an active part of society).
You know what you DON'T have to have a license for? You know what you DON'T have to be of a certain age for?
To have a baby. The only requirements to have a baby is to have the right organs, and for someone of the opposite sex to have the right organs, and to get those organs together at the same time and place (haha). Isn't that insane? One of the biggest responsibilities a person can have, if not THE biggest - and you don't have to take any tests for it. Have anyone else deem you "ready" for it. Hell, you don't even have to prove to anyone that you have the MEANS to support a child!!!!!!!
There is little else that really gets me up and going on a great big soapbox when people are having kids that (I'm sorry, yes, I'm judging here) have ZERO business having them.
Teenagers? No!!
Not married? Generally I'd say no, but there are exceptions; my cousin Courtney and her b/f have been together for a long time and just probably will never get married, but they just had a baby. At least the baby has 2 parents that support themselves. But yeah, otherwise - really, how much does birth control cost? Who isn't married but TRIES to get pregnant? Yeah, not very many people can say, "me!"
Girls that do it to "keep" the guy around? Ha. Good luck with that....
Live off MY tax dollars? HELL NO. No, no, no, no!!!!!!!! I am sorry. Okay, yes, there are SOME people out there that have hit a rough patch, use welfare or Medicaid or unemployment for a short period of time. BUT. But. More often than not, those people living off my tax dollars can barely afford to "support" themselves, LET ALONE a child. And I'm not saying money is everything. When my mom and dad had me, they were 22 and 21 and had both lost their jobs 3 weeks after finding out they were pregnant with me. But you know what? They both BUSTED THEIR BUTTS to support us. My dad worked at Burger King. He was an insurance salesman for awhile. Drove for 7Up. My mom worked in the proof department at the bank. But they did without a lot of stuff during those times. New clothes for themselves, cable tv. They only had 1 car back then. I never went without, because my parents made sure THEY would go without before I did.
When Chris and I choose to have a child, it is because we feel that a) we are strong enough in our relationship to bring a life into this world, b) we are in a position that at least is favorable, financial-wise, to bring a life into this world, and c)....oh yeah that's right, make sure that we're able to SUPPORT OURSELVES FIRST!!!!!!! When Chris & I have a child, we will have costs involved. Yes, through my work we have great insurance. But it's 90/10. We'll have to pay 10% of the costs of having a baby, and I know the total cost is a lot. Oh, and yeah, all the prenatal stuff - we'll be paying for that too (maybe not, I'm not entirely up to speed on my insurance's policy for baby stuff).
I have a real problem with people that a) still live in someone else's home b/c they can't afford to live on their own, b) aren't that great of parents to the TWO children they already have since they are basically still kids themselves, c) have the newest cell phones, computers and high speed internet but their kids are in clothes that are too small - and are expecting another one.
I can't even wrap my head around it. I know people that are good people....that have tried and tried and tried, or are trying as we speak - are more than ready to have a baby, that will be good parents......but can't.
And then there are other people who all but make a mockery of being parents.
I can't stand it.
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