Another blog about kids

As you know if you read this blog regularly, I don't care for kids.  Some are cute, a lot are just evidence of major parental failure, and/or condom failure.  There are a handful of kids whose parents totally rock at parenting, who I totally love.

But I was browsing blogs today and one of them caught my eye.  The gist of the blog was "Shut up, your kids are not THAT cute."  But there was some interesting information in the blog:

Statistics show that 90% of your kids are going to grow up to become just like everyone else - and five percent of them, will grow up to be less than everyone else. Average citizens performing average jobs, with an average income, average intelligence and average achievements. There's a one-in-two shot that they'll end up divorced, with two-point-three children, there's a one in seven chance they'll be unemployed, and there's a one in twelve chance that they'll be too poor to survive without government subsidies during most of their childbearing years.

Three percent of your kids are going to be pregnant before they're out of high school, twenty percent are going to fail miserably at managing their credit, and while twenty-two percent of your children will be able to name all five of the Simpsons, less than one tenth of a percent will be able to name the 5 freedoms given to them by the first amendment and less than one hundredth of a percent will make any significant contribution to anything worthwhile within the scope of human history.

People seem to forget that these kids grow up to be adults, and the national averages aren't exactly on the rise.

 

The statistics can sometimes be depressing, or overwhelming.  But instead of thinking, "Why bother bringing a kid into the world with all the trouble we have here?"  Why not see the statistics as a challenge?  They're right, parents naturally want their kids to be great because, after all, a kid is a genetic reflection of a parent.  But ok, so my kid might not be that great.  But I know I am great, and why shouldn't I challenge myself to be a better parent than most of the parents out there?  Assuming, of course, that I find someone I can love, who is worth the effort and scary cliff-jump that is a wedding and then work my courage up to start a family.  There are a lot of steps between here and kids, but it is comforting to know that if the oxytocin fails to make me think my kids are the best thing since the invention of fire, that at the very least, I will enjoy the challenge of beating the odds to make myself a better parent.