Why did you have children?
I'll answerb for me:
- MY legacy
- MY purpose
- MY enjoyment
- to make MY life full and interesting
Discussion
I think those are all good and valid reasons.
For me it was more about giving.
Mainly giving them more than I was given.
I don’t think many if any of us have a legacy beyond the people we know in our lifetimes.
Giving them more than you were given to prove to yourself that you are more capable than the person who was supposed to give to you, I bet. Ego, selfishness - fine and healthy.
The frame on this original question is off for me.
This is all modern thinking.
Having children is really not a choice.
It’s just nature.
The way we view it as a choice is kind of weird.
Always had the choice to stick around or not though. It's roughly the same thing as choosing to have or not to have any imo.
I had children because I wanted a full life experience (selfish), but after they arrived I wanted to give them more than I was given, and I likely won’t be around to see it. Legacy doesn’t exist. You’ll barely be remembered a decade after you die. One in 100 million maybe get 100 years.
It depends. Not by everyone, but maybe you can write down a piece of yourself about your life and what you thought was important that some of your descendants with a similar temperament will connect to. Worth the chance imo.