From the archive

Do you really want a child?

Your child doesn't owe you a second chance at the career you never had. They don't have to choose a profession that's convenient for you to brag about. They don't have to deliver achievements in exchange for the cost of extracurricular activities. You can give them opportunities. But if every opportunity comes with a bill marked “after everything we did for you,” that's a pretty strange gift. Imagine they turn out to be ordinary. No medals. No extraordinary talent. A personality that sometimes pisses you off. Difficulties of their own that won't make a pretty photo caption.