Children

I was having some thoughts (did I mention this in the past?? I don't remember) about the idea of having children, which is something that I don't want to do. Not now or in the future. I'm proud that I have managed to not get knocked up unintentionally, something that not everyone can say. If theoretically I were to have children, I think they would be an absolute pain and a hassle. The most having children (not the physical act of having them - conceiving, being pregnant and giving birth: no way) I think I could manage would be a situation like the kind that happens when people get divorced and end up with shared custody of the child(ren). You have the kid(s) for awhile, maybe a few days a week or something, and then back off to the ex-hubby's house they go. I think maybe, just maybe, I could deal with a situation like that. But it's not exactly accepted to marry someone, acquire a child somehow along the way, then divorce them so that you only have to deal with the child for a fraction of the time. In order to avoid me actually having to physically have children, I guess the way to acquire a child would be that the person I theoretically (in this scenario) marry already has a kid from a previous relationship, or to adopt a kid. Both of which aren't completely simple and straightforward matters. Having a kid the normal way is more straightforward but that's absolutely not something I want to do. 

I think a cat, or possibly multiple cats, is the right level of maintenance for me. They provide some companionship but are not particularly needy and can take care of themselves for the most part. A cat is nowhere near as high maintenance as an actual human child. 

Ooh, I thought of another theoretical scenario where I wouldn't have to deal too much with having a kid. It would be that I am rich and have a surrogate mother carry the baby, and then hire a nanny to raise the child most of the time. And I guess my spouse could get involved with the kid if they wanted to. But I would only have to get involved with it on my terms, because everything else the nanny would take care of. I don't necessarily condone this as a good way to raise children, but it's a theoretical scenario that I'm sure has happened with other people. 

Or yet another theoretical scenario: if I were a man, it would be much easier to have a kid but not have to deal with it that much. Plenty of men abandon their children or just aren't that involved with taking care of them. And if you're a man you don't have to be pregnant for 9 months. Or I could be in a lesbian relationship where my wife is the one who carries the pregnancy. 

Realistically, I think the most children having I'll do is possibly being an aunt, or maybe a godmother or something. That's kind of odd to think about. It's probably not going to happen anytime soon, unless [redacted].