Is Bringing A Child Into This World, Selfish?

Romanjalee Lourdes

5.9.20

One of my biggest hopes has always been to be a mother. The bond between a mother and her child is something I’ve always found to be so beautiful, so magical. My mom is my best friend, and to connect with my child in that same way, sounds like a dream.

As the years have passed, my desire for wanting to be a mother has only grown- however, I find myself asking: Would bringing a child into this dreadful world be selfish?

I want to carry a little human for nine months (or adopt) and create a special bond, I want to be able to pick out cute outfits for my kids, I want to teach them how to be kind and how to love, I want to be there for them and be the best mother I can be, but is it worth it?

A world where innocent children are forced to grow up. A world where innocent animals endure unimaginable pain. A world where innocence is taken for granted. A world full of greed.

A world where the color of someone’s skin can deem them as less. A world where an innocent black man can’t eat ice cream in his own home without being seen as a threat. A world where racism is ever-growing. A world full of ignorance.

A world where fame is glorified, and at times human decency is reduced to gain it. A world where social media has the power to take a life. A world that ignores the cries of its people; A world full of suffering.

Is it worth it?

Do I want my children to see that? To ask me why I brought them into such a painful world? To witness a world plagued with human suffering?

Do I want to bring another human into this already suffering world- willingly?

I don’t know.

However, if one day I do decide to have a child, I will teach them to be kind; how one smile can make someone’s day brighter, how one kind word can save someone’s life. I will teach them not to ignore skin color, but to acknowledge it and to love it; to accept everyone for what they are- human beings.

I will teach them to treat everyone equally, no matter their race, sexuality, or the lifestyle choices they make. I will teach them the importance of learning and not falling into ignorance. I will teach them to hear the cries of the world and to help.

I will teach them, love.

But until that day comes, I will be kind. I will smile and pass along kind words to random strangers. I will admire the color of others skin, instead of devaluing them for something they were born with. I will treat everyone equally, no matter their situations. I will educate myself and not be oblivious to the cries of suffering people.

I will help this world and its people.

And one day, I will teach my future children to help this world and its people.