Munchkin Invasion

[shadesofmauve]

I didn't ask to be a child-magnet. I've never really wanted kids*. I do succumb, when faced with an offspring still in the infink stage, to the desire to cuddle and coo, and occasionally sing them to sleep. Holding a sleeping baby is really scarily nice. But babies are even worse than puppies. They grow into dogs kids and then teenagers and then adults. Kids and teenagers and, unfortunatley, many adults, are a LOT of work. Work sucks.

Still, I enjoy other-people's children, for short amounts of time. I don't know if they pick up on that, or pick up on the fact that I don't want kids, like cats who love my mother. I have a theory that the sure-fire way to stop being unreasonably attractive to random children is to have some of my own, and testing that theory is really, really not worth it.

A bunch of people were over at the new neighbors, among them a seven and an eight year old, cousins. I had both doors open and was weeding, potting new plants, and generally remembering that I have a back door and there are plants and things outside it. These two girls snuck over to see the plants, and I showed them how you can pet thyme and smell lemon-balm. They played on Jordan's workout-thing in the backyard. No one died. I was declared the new friend ("You know, you're my new friend!"). They made me a bouquet,** which is now in a glass of water, because that's what one does with bouquets. I now know that Alexei is moving to Hawaii but isn't very excited, that Anna had 11 gold fish and one blue one before her aunt put one in the freezer (?), and that Alexei's real dad wasn't particularly nice. I played fiddle for them and they danced about. Eventually someone's parent came 'round when one ran through my house, which was nice of him, because I hadn't figured out how to extricate myself yet.

I closed the back door behind the girls, walked to the front door to close it, and...there stands Reilly (5), one of the neighbors on the OTHER side, waiting at my front door to say hello. He's much more assertive than he was in the fall (I don't see them in winter - they're in their coccons house). So we chatted for a bit, and then he and his brothers wrestled and Stacy and I chatted.

It was rather nice, even if it's baffling. I spent much of today with the feeling that the world in general thought I was a jackass and general waste of time, but apparently that doesn't matter to people under age 10.

*Note to everyone who would leap on that phrase, slaverying at the scent of misguided prey, and tell me that I will feel differently when I'm older: I don't say that I will never want kids. I don't want kids at present. Not just that at the present moment it would be awkward/unpleasant for me to have kids, but at the present moment I envision no future with children. I do recognise that this, like almost all facets of life, is subject to change.

**Dandelions and those purple-and-green things that grow all over where the blackberries were. The latter was pulled by the roots.

Comments

[klorkdean.livejournal.com]

Heee...yeah.

All I know is that I've always wanted kids and wanted to be married, etc..

Funny thing to me? My best friend said she'd never get married--got married a month after me. My sister said the same, got married last summer, where she proclaimed she would never have kids but would be happy with being an auntie.

Guess who's trying for kids now? *snigger*

Anyway, yeah, some people don't envision it, but it might change.

However, I know QUITE a few people that it never *did* change for. My uncle, for example, is married to his hiking trails and the mountains, nooo kids. BUT he's perfectly happy!

So you never know! *makes..strange musical sounds that wake Warren up*

D'oh!

[shadesofmauve]

Speaking on behalf of all those who have at any time said that we'd never get married and/or have kids, there's nothing so annoying as that smirking "I told you so."

But you're forgiven, because you clearly understand, and your grub is cute. *waves at the Warren-grub*