Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 beta 3/9/83; site uwmacc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hao!seismo!uwvax!uwmacc!demillo From: demillo@uwmacc.UUCP Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Re: Child As Surrogate Pet / Re: To Breed or Not to Breed Message-ID: <187@uwmacc.UUCP> Date: Thu, 2-Aug-84 17:27:55 EDT Article-I.D.: uwmacc.187 Posted: Thu Aug 2 17:27:55 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 5-Aug-84 05:05:50 EDT References: <8478@watmath.UUCP> <3901@fortune.UUCP>, <802@ut-ngp.UUCP> Organization: UWisconsin-Madison Academic Comp Center Lines: 40 Clay, Judy and others --- The concept of a child being a surrogate pet for some has occured to me over and over. I know quite a few single people (mostly women - not a comment, just a statistic) that want a child. These people vary in age from mid-20's to late 30's, but they all have one thing in common: they have never had a child and do not wish to get married. The "surroget pet" idea makes a lot of sense. In talking with these people, one can not help but feel that they would be irresponsible parents. They never want to talk about the money, energy or pain that goes into having another human being totally dependent on you for 16 to 18 years. They are more interested in "seeing what kind of a person they can make." (That was a direct quote from one of my women friends...and I don't mind telling you that statement scares me a lot! In further conversations with this person, it is quite obvious that she wants to mold what, in her mind, is the perfect human being...totally oblivious to the fact that the child will develop a will of his/her own.) But I degress... When one buys a dog, for instance, the period of the dog's total dependence on the human lasts for only a few months. Then, other than "feeding the dog" type chores, the dog is perfectly able to entertain itself, go to the bathroom, tend to its own wounds, etc...relying on the human for the more pleasant aspects of a relationship: walks in the woods, companionship, game playing, or just hanging out. It has stopped being an emotional and physical "parasite." (Now, now...I don't mean any negative connotations here, but children are parasites for quite a few years.) For some of these people who simply want children for the sake of playing mommy and daddy, one can only wonder. Do they realize that there is more to being a parent than being a dog owner? Comments? -- Rob "if you break it, it's yours" DeMillo MACC