Welcome to Gaia! ::

Well, I'm glad that you sound like you'll be a very focused, giving, caring parent. We could use more people with attitudes like you have in this world, because there are so many parents out there who don't really care about their kids, yet almost everyone feels entitled to breed/reproduce... it's certainly hard enough when there's people out there who feel like everyone *must* reproduce- the pro-lifers and religious fundies.

I see way too many kids being *loved* as pwecious baaaaabbiees, then when no longer cute are just dumped in the system- public schools and low-wage employment/military. >.<

It's nice that you work with kids before actually having kids... because you have a more realistic perspective and experiences towards raising your own. It probably should be mandatory that pre-parents volunteer and work with kids before making new ones.

No, human nature isn't very rational... but we DO have minds and can choose to go above biological "instincts" (which I think is a lot of junk science, anyway). And we can see, although not immediately feel how the entire planet is coping with our collective choices. It will be increasingly important to do so as competition for resources increases... there will be a point in time where humans can no longer afford the luxury of selfishly consuming and reproducing.

As for me, if I didn't have a lover now I would be more than happy to erase myself from the face of the Earth in especially a painless, physician-assisted way, but too many humans are opposed to ethical suicide no matter what. So instead, being vegan helps reduce a lot of my footprint.

I'd love to adopt as well, actually... but I want to experience being pregnant. I just don't feel like I'd be quite the person I could without it. Maybe I'm just strange... I don't mean that as a slander to anyone who doesn't want kids, or will only adopt, but rather the way I am about my life means that I see everything as an experience, and I'd like to experience as many non-detrimental things as possible, and even some harmful things. Things like getting drunk are stupid things to do in my opinion, but that came at least partly because I tried it once. (Throwing up, hangover, now have difficulty eating lasagne and certain smells make me gag). Shortly put: I'll try almost anything once. If I decide after I've been pregnant once that I don't want to do it ever again, I'll adopt my second child. And I'd like to adopt minority children...

All that's a personal thing. Plus, Grip, I know we can rise above biology... but we don't necessarily have to. I try to reduce my own footprint at least somewhat by car-sharing a car with a little engine (I'm not sure what counts as a little engine in the US - someone tell me? But yeah, it's a 1.2l engine) or using public transport. I recycle. I no longer use tampons or pads (Mooncup <3). I do lots of things because of biology, though. I have sex, I bond with people, I'm social - all down to biology. If you just ignored all that, I think you'd be kinda inhuman. Nothing against asexual asocial beings or anything, but if you ignore all your biology then what's the defining point between your mind and a theoretical AI? I eat meat because I see little reason not to, and most of my choices are made on a pro and con basis. When it comes to love and reproduction , that's way more difficult to do.

Although I do think living off welfare (living off, not being on) or having loads of children, or driving huge cars - these are definitely luxuries people can very easily afford to let go with little to no reduction in quality of life. You can drive the kids around in a 1.4 smallish car just as well as in a ********' 3.2 4x4.

Also: two kids, because three is too many and has a middle child, and one I think would be lonely. I don't know how big the gap would be between the biological and the adopted kids - it may end up over a decade, because it's a lengthy and pricey process. So I'd have to wait for the resources, really.

I <3 all things resuable.

My fiance and I are planning on a hybrid. They fit five, and they save gas. If we can't afford one, we'll be going for a sedan. More than 2 kids, and we get a minivan.

And don't knock minivans like that. My friend's mom has a hybrid and a minivan. We used the minivan on Girl Scout trips (Why? We could fit the entire troop in it... as long as me and the two other biggest girls didn't all try to sit on the 3-person seat). The minivan got better mileage on the highway than the hybrid, though the hybrid does MUCH better in the city.

I agree about SUVs, though.

actually, SUVs aren't very safe. they roll over really easily and my mom told me she read somewhere that Hummers have weird head rests so if you crash you're more likely to die than you would be driving an average SUV. not to mention they get, what, 40 feet to the gallon?

i own a 1987 Cadillac DeVille, so i'm not doing so hot in the gas milage department, but it's the best i could get for my money's worth (only $1,000 and it's in excellent condition). if i hit an SUV with that damn thing i'd total the SUV and my car MIGHT be dented. good old American steel... xD