One and Only, thank you very much
M. Kennedy has an interesting post about only children on her blog. Her last paragraph is one of the most important reasons I won't have kids.
I found one comment, however, to be particularly interesting, since it more or less illustrates some issues I may be facing. As an only child, not only will I bear the entire child's responsibility for her aging parent(s), but also, as it turns out, for my parent(s) status as grandparents. Supposedly well intentioned adults have sympathized with my (human) childless status, and I can only imagine the gushings of "oh you poor thing" if they were talking to my grandchildless mother.
But is having children so that you will have someone to care for you in your dotage (and then having more so that one child will not have to shoulder that burden alone) really a good reason to have them?