Just remember that this war, just like every other war, will pass.

Sounds like a good time to re-read MLK's I have a dream speach cause isn't that what it's all about? He was right you know...someday...

Who's gonna change this world? If it's you, then don't you want your kid to live in it? If it's not you, don't you want your kid to make that difference?

You sure as hell don't want Dubyas grandkids doing it for ya. itellyouwhat

Although I'm not at the point you are, I've also thought about that; you're not alone, both about the child-birthing and the rise of Fascism in this country. I fear for the future a lot, but I'm a helluva lot more frightened by how things are moving right now... and once I figure out how to make things better, I'll tell you all.
=^..^=

I'm with the first commenter.

Plus, I have a 13-month-old son and it's just... wicked pissah! Seeing my boy smile and making him laugh are just a huge high. He's also into giving spontaneous hugs. It's indescribably cool. I'm hoping smart people will procreate with abandon. It's time we improved the curve. Best of luck.

Question: what do the Academy Awards have to do with real life? What he did was f*ed up, but last time I looked, the Oscars weren't the Department of Corrections.

Sorry, Dooce, just annoyed at the last comment. I totally feel you, and don't worry about the booblessness. My sis and I each have triple the boobs of any other woman in the family, who knows why. So there is hope for world peace!

Right the f**k on with the first comment. All you smart people, get to knockin' boots! We got smart babies to make!

personally, my sweetie and i have been trying to procreate with abandon (to quote woodge -cheers!-) and we are having similar issues. wild scizphrenia and bad teeth run in his family, and short, stumpy italian drug addicts run in mine. after loosing my 20 year old brother to drug addiction and seeing my mother suffer through it for years, it really made us look at the fact that even though we have been and continue to heavily therap-ize ourselves, there are things far out of our control. very scary. personally, i don't want to loose another little boy to addiction, and i may have little choice over it. the only thing we can control is how we react to the unknown when it comes screaming at us. it may not be comforting, dear, but it's the truth. bon chance to you both. and you are right, if you keep waiting for the right time, it will never come. you have to make it a right time.(and when you do concieve, there is a fabulous magazine that i subscribe to called "fit pregnancy". it's very good.)
best of luck you two.

You go, Dooce. Having kids is too important to be left to the stupid and/or humor-impaired.

Unfortunately the saddest thing about deciding whether to have a child or not, is when your insurance covers it. You talk about a sad state of affairs. Soon you'll have to put a down payment on your child, which could be repossessed if you fail to pay the premium. Have a kid now, before they tax it or make it illegal.

Regarding "already I can’t speak up against this war without being labeled a 'traitor' or 'anti-American,' and that fucking scares the shit out of me," Dooce, _please_ know that there are lots of people in the world who are happy to find similar viewpoints. I'm overjoined to hear that you have opinions against the war (even if I don't get to hear them in detail). I've been extremely upset to find that so many of the other bloggers I've been following for years or months are turning out to have viewpoints that I never would have expected from their otherwise seemingly-liberal writings -- viewpoints that are so against mine that I can't even manage to continue reading their blogs for fear that I'll see another "rah rah go lil'bush kill them sumsovbitches" entry. Anyway, know that there are lots of people out there that appreciate dissenting opinions and do not view you as anti-American. It was enough to get this long-time reader to comment for the first time (well, second technically, I emailed you begging for your secret location when you shut down after getting fired ;] ).
And good luck with your procreating *heheh* the world needs more kids with sane parents.

Isn't it funny, that those who don't make good parents, don't usually think about whether they should have kids or not? They just have them and fill the world with more lost, wounded souls. And it's the people who make good parents who often debate having kids.

As bad as the world can be, just remember that during their young lives, you are their world, and as long as you can give them what they need (spoiling, discipline, self-esteem, guidance, examples of how to live live, etc.) then they'll have a better chance in this world than most.

As parents, all we can do is give them a good foundation to face the world with. They may navigate life well, they may flounder, but at least they've had the opportunity to try.

And use your kids as a motivation to get involved in your community, your country, your planet. Maybe after having your own kids, and if you have the resources and strength for it, perhaps you can adopt a child who has nothing in this world. Or you don't even have to go that far. Volunteer at an organization for disadvantaged youths. Take stock of your talents/stengths and find a way to make the world just a little bit better for other kids and your own.

I'm a pessimist and often I wonder whether having two daughters will bring me joy or grief (probably both). But it's an arrogant person who thinks they are so omnipotent that they know there's no hope left in the world. Oddly, not knowing what the future holds is both the source of hopelessness and hope.

If God exists, s/he/it has a twisted sense of humor :_)

Little Known Fact: Dan Rather did not graduate high school.

So if you decide to go ahead and have children, which I think you should, not that you asked me, you can rest assured that even if they drop out of high school, we live in such a society that they won't have to flip burgers forever if they really don't wanna.

Thanks for the laugh about the dog feet, Dooce. I really needed it. And good luck with the baby-making. You're doing the right thing, as Another Traitor and all the others have already mentioned.

Bless your heart Slackjaw. Well put.

in the words of nike, just do it. you obviously want kids, and like you said, there will never be a "perfect" time to have them. and if you could find one, by the time he was ready to pop his head out, the perfect moment will have passed and the world will be shit again. so i'd say do it now, and nine months from now, things might actually be peachy.

right on. i could agree more.

blind patriotism is a scary thing.