Children... Shudder...

I just finished a series of focus groups for a new child pdt we are developing. The respondents were generally parents with 2-3 kids or expecting their twos & threes.

Listening to these respondents make me shudder abt parenthood. When asked what they do during their free time, many exclaimed that they had no free time to themselves & it's always time with their kids. They lament abt the rising cost of medical, education & childcare as well as the fact that they no longer have holidays! No more dreaming of zipping off to holidays coz the furthest these folks go are SEA!

Now with marriage on the cards & family-planning matters isn't no longer remote, i begin to have 2nd thoughts. As much as i feel that i'd want to have my own child 1 day, i wonder if i'd be ready to make sacrifices for the child & take him/her as a lifelong responsibility. Some might say that "well, when u have your own kid, it'll be different" but hey, i am not confident that it'll be! I guess it lies in the hands of FATE then. I had a respondent who commented that the reason why she's having a child is becoz it's all part of the cycle of procreation - that her mum gave birth to her & now she's giving birth to another!

Phew! Parenthood! I suddenly have immense appreciation to my parents for the sacrifices they took to bring me up. I wonder if i am ever ready to undertake this heavy responsiblity too. Theyd be so sad to hear this from me!