Reasons to have a child

This is an entry I've had on my mind for many weeks. It started when I came across one of the ubiquitous top ten lists, the one that caught me eye was the top 10 reasons not to have a child. It got me thinking a bit, and I found the list to be quite selfish.

So as a new parent, here in no particular order are some reasons to have a child (I realize that Emmy is a long way from being a teenager, at which point I may change my mind on the children thing, but I don't think so).

Having a child can bring a huge amount of love into your life. I cannot describe it properly, but holding your newborn child for the first time opens up a whole new part of your heart that you never really knew about.

In a good relationship, having a child seems to make your spouse more attractive. Seriously, watch your wife or your husband rocking your child to sleep (as long as it isn't 3 in the morning and the baby has been crying for hours) this pushes them up the beautiful scale a bit more.

Having a child can bring you closer to your spouse. This seems to be out of necessity, it is a lot of work to take care of a child, so it really helps to work as a team.

You don't know what cute is until you watch a little pair of hands reach up and grab the edge of the crib. They are such small hands, too. Then after that the head pops up and there is a pair of bright eyes and a beaming smile.

This one is a selfish reason, you can (with full authority) ignore the advice of all those people who tell everyone else how to raise a child, but have never had one (and don't want one).

You learn what you can do, and that it is a lot more than you thought possible. If you were busy before a baby, you are really busy after a baby. But having climbed an Everest, you know that you can stand up to anything.

A career is fun and essential. Without working and providing money you will starve. But a career will only take you so far. At the end of the day, and as you come to your retirement the career is gone, the family remains.

Children can lead to grand children. These are supposed to have all the perks, and many less problems.

This isn't a full list. But some of the reasons to have a child. Just don't have a baby out of a marriage, this is hard work, I could not imagine raising a child alone, and a baby deserves a full family..