To have kids or not to have kids?

Do I want children?

No? Than don't have them and enjoy your life on this planet. There are enough people allready but still a lot of beauty and mystery to be experienced. Look for it! Don't wait behind your tv.

Yes? But... is it responsable to have them in this far from perfect world that is overpopulated allready? What about our eco-footprint? Do I want the responsability of adding a new poluting, resource-consuming being to this planet? And what about time for myself and my beloved husband and all my make-the-earth-a-better-place-projects and activities (permaculture, teaching herbalism, green living and housing, concious consuming...)?

I doubted and postponed having a child for all those reasons for quit some time. I also didn't really want it badly. Until I was 28 and suddenly had the feeling that I had had enough me-time and studied and practiced enough durable lifestyle to have a child, raise it conciously and pass on my experience. Especially the last thing, passing on my lifes experiences and share the beautifull things on this earth with a new someone became an urge nearly.

That doesn't mean that, when I was pregnant, all the doubts had gone. Every now an then they came up again. When I was discussing this with my godmother (80 years old) she said : “you can see it as a responsability to have a child, and it is, but it is also a reponsability to choose not to have one. We need children that have been raised with awareness of the problems in this world and ready to do something about them. If all the people that are aware of these problems choose not to have children than who is going to solve them in the future?” In the past I didn't want to go for that explaination because I didn't want it to be an excuse for a selfish wish but I guess she is right. Anyway, now our daughter is here this is the way to go : raise her with as little as possible extra impact on the earth and with awareness of the problems of this time and a positive look on solving them.

It is about this I will write some words over the next months or years perhaps.