Can having children make you a better person?

[Cyclone]

it definitely makes you a better person.

 

 

All the parents that abuse their children would seem to indicate that you're wrong.

[Bonzo77]

All the parents that abuse their children would seem to indicate that you're wrong.

 

It's comments like this that make me keep away from this site!

 

There's loads of things in life that can make you a better person. Having kids i's definitely one of them. If it doesn't make you a better person, then you're doing it wrong!

[Cyclone]

It's not in any way guaranteed to make you a better person is it.

[Bonzo77]

It's not in any way guaranteed to make you a better person is it.

 

It is if you do the job correctly

[Solitaire]

There are so many variables it's impossible to say yes or no.

 

Sure, for some people having a child may bring a different perception of love, pride or responsibility that they had not experienced before and it may change them for the better. For others, a child may be a burden or even a regret.

 

From my own personal experience, I'd say NOT having a child has made me a better person. I'm more in tune with myself and with my partner. I care for elderly relatives and that's brought about a whole heap of emotions I've had to learn to deal with.

 

I think these days, there are some people who seem to think that having children makes them more special than everyone else and those same people seem to think that childless / childfree people are somehow devoid of feeling. All this "you'll never know unconditional love unless you have a child" really winds me up!

 

The above sums it up for me, pretty much.

 

S x

[Daven]

in answer to the OP's question - being the mother of 3 children has made me a far less selfish person without a doubt.

I have never felt that being a parent has made me any more 'special' than someone who doesn't have children.

I do observe though that many young women today who are pregnant or have children seem to think that it does - just an observation.