Does parenthood change your political outlook?

My partner and I are having our first child in January and I was wondering if people thought that having a child has any effect on a persons political outlook, does it change, does it remain the same but the priorities change or does nothing change?

One outcome so far is that I have not been able to contribute to this forum as much as I would like to but I have and will continue to be somewhere in the background.

Yours Balbus.

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Congratulations Balbus, I've been away so I was unaware of your news!

Actually, I've been thinking about this myself recently, because people who can't seem to come up with a logical argument to defend their beliefs, usually just tell me that when I'm older and have children I will "change my tune". I highly doubt that will happen, and if it does, I give every single one of you permission to come to my home and take my children from me, as this would make me an unfit parent in my opinion. I'm not going to go from being an active Green Party member to a Republican, simply because I get pregnant. I already believe that children are our future and that we should be doing everything we possibly can including spending a lot more money on education, in order to better prepare our future leaders. I'm not really sure what exactly I could be changing my mind on.

Now as far as being able to go to as many events, or post on forums and such, well certainly my priorities would change, but just because you become a parent doesn't mean you are not still who you once were. Children are an addition to your life. I don't think that it should completely change everything in your life. I think that sometimes parents forget that they are not only little Susies mother or father, but they have their own identity as well. Sure your child's wellbeing and happiness will be much more important to you than the things that you were once concerned about, but I think that when people have children they care about the future even more.

If you want to raise a child who can think for himself and make informed decisions, then teach him what you are teaching people here Balbus. Show him why you are involved in politics, why it is important, and how to research (lol, ya might wait until he can read). Teach him to respect others, even if you disagree with them. Set an example.

Sorry I couldn't really be more specific, but I just don't see how I could personally change. There is no way that I'm going to start telling gays that they can't get married and believing for one moment that I've got any right to tell a woman not to have an abortion or suddenly think that it is a good idea to start a war and occupy a country. I know I'm being very simplistic in this example, but that is really how I view it. I mean I guess where you end, depends on where you begin. I have changed my opinion on a few things as I have gotten older mainly because I have done more research on specific topics and I have more knowledge than I did previously, not because I got a year older or had a child or got married.

 

hmm...well I don't have any children myself, but i do know this much:

My father was pretty liberal before having us kids (by his own admission), but was pretty conservative while raising us (voted republican, sent us to christian private schools), and now that we are out of the house, he is back to liberal again (we smoke pot together occasionally, voted democrat this last election).

My mother is just crazy, so I wont use her as an example =P

 

LOL holy crap, are you my long lost sister? That sounds exactly like my family, except my dad has never voted, but he is very opinionated that is for sure. And my mom is definitely crazy!

I wouldn't say though that my parents really care about politics though, they are/were more about appearances, they wanted people to think that they were... I don't even know what the hell they wanted to think. My parents thought that they were better than everyone else, and they wanted people to recognize that I suppose; feel superior for some reason. We went to a Christian school because my father was afraid to have me go to public school with poor people in the inner city, so he found a school near us in the suburbs (at the time it was farm land). I gave up on analyzing my parents a long time ago. I just hope that I don't end up like either one of them.

 

I've also heard the "If you had kids you'd understand" line about a million times. It's ridiculous. I love kids, but have none of my own and don't currently have plans to have any in the near future at least.
I don't know, a lot of my cousins are popping out kids left and right. Some of them seem to do it only for attention. Well, not only but seriously, they have no lives of their own and they are a little too proud of the fact that they are parents. They don't let the kids out of their sight either. Big deal, so you had a kid, just like humans have been doing for MILLIONS of years. Life doesn't start when you have a baby, it might "end" though.
Quit increasing the population!

 

I could see where subordinating you life to others (i.e. your kids) would change your political views.

 

Dear all

Just to keep this thread up to date, my daughter was born Sat 5th Feb. Mother and baby are doing very well.

Balbus

 

Hey Balbus - I just had a son myself January 12th!

Having children has made me more politically active and hardcore than I think I might have been otherwise. It's definitely made me consider the value of life - I look at my son every day and can't help thinking about the thousands of beautiful innocent babies that have been killed in Iraq and that will continue to die. Every one of those babies might as well be my own, so I become more and more resolute in my belief in nonviolent solutions to world issues and more disturbed by the awful consequences of war - especially for innocents.

Also, when I got pregnant, my husband and I became more convinced that we had to get our family out of american mainstream society, and we made a drastic move to an intentional community about 1000 miles from where we had been. I even took leave from my PhD program and we spent nearly all our savings to do it, but we don't want our children influenced by the insanity that seems to be gripping this culture. So having children (especially the one we just had) has made us MORE radical, not less.

 

"Actually, I've been thinking about this myself recently, because people who can't seem to come up with a logical argument to defend their beliefs, usually just tell me that when I'm older and have children I will "change my tune"."

Well, my mother tried to tell me that too, except I already had my kid so she said after raising him in the "real world" for awhile, but basically the same spew. I guess I can't say for sure my beliefs won't change since Jeremy is only 10 and a half months old,(HAHA) but I honestly don't see why they would. I'm 'no party affiliation' on my voter card and my views range from liberal to moderate. But see my views are based on 'choice', I want my son to be able to marry anyone he wants, I want his gf to be able to get an abortion if it happens and that's what they decide is best, I want him to have the right to bear arms just in case someone breaks into his house years from now, I want him to be able to get a job that pays a living wage,even if he decides not to go to college, so and so forth. I don't see why I would all of a sudden stop wanting people to have choices. If anything I believe my views stronger than before. I think it depends on how you come up with your views. If you just join a party and becaome "loyal" for lack of a better word, then you might switcharoo a lot. But if you think for yourself then you come up with what you really believe, instead of just believeing what's told to you