h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The world according to my office....

Our parents : until we were about 30 or so: 'Please don't have children, think of your career, get qualifications'

From the age of about 30 onwards : 'What do you mean you're getting *more* qualifications! where are my grandchildren!'

30? Try 25...

I think they should issue some sort of warning...

'Just to let you know in about 18 months time we'll start whinging about the fact you haven't got a girl pregnant yet..'

'... that we know of.'

Amusing story 2.

One of my friends is a deeply Christian girl, from a deeply Christian family (Vicars daughter etc), she's nearly 30.

When she announced to her parents that she was going to serve God by going to work in a mission hospital in Africa her mother was giving up hope of grandchildren. I believe the following interaction took place.

'Don't worry if you get pregnant whilst you're in Africa, I know you won't always be able to get contraceptives, but if you get pregnant we can look after the baby now we're retired'

'Mother! I don't believe in sex before marriage. You brought me up that way'.

'Oh'

(Pause)

'Well if you happen to make a mistake, the Lord is very forgiving you know'

Brilliant!

My parents started on to me about kids when I was about 18, then they stopped when my brother had some (not literally of course).

Thankfully they've pretty much left me alone since then.

Having children doesn't help. No sooner have you squeezed one out than they start asking about the next.

When I was 29 I told my father that I was engaged to be married. His exact, first words were: 'Oh, has Scrumph knocked you up, then?'. Umm. That wasn't awkward IN THE LEAST.

Anyway, not that I'm typical at all in my Dreadful Fate, but my parents spent a couple of years after I was married Not Mentioning Babies, and then suddenly went into WHERE THE ARE OUR GRANDCHILDREN? mode, just as I was being told I'd have trouble producing said grandchildren (oh, timing, how it likes to add wire-wool and lemon-juice to everything) which they only gave over on after I'd miscarried several of them. Whereapon, my sister went all 'Where's my child's COUSIN, you selfish cow?'. Which was awkward, at parties. She still brings it up. She knows exactly where her child's cousins are, and she STILL brings it up. Gah.

tl;dr version: family are unreasonably darwinistic about the increase of family. Family also cretinously blind to the reasonableness or otherwise of their demands. And they think they're being cute. It's as if the Biological Imperative has destroyed most of their higher cognitive functions. Biological Clock by proxy.

Please ignore this posting, I'm testing something.

Sorry. My eye skipped to post 9 straight after post 7...

Your family sounds somewhat lacking in tact, Ag. My sympathies.

I am at the other end of the scale, and having to bite my lips, knowing I have to wait till son and DIL both have their PhDs. Fortunately, they wouldn't mind if we did broach the subject, but we touched on it once and now just don't mention the elephant in the room.

To be fair, my own parents never said anything, nor did my in-laws. They left us to it. My dad did say "Fancy our girl being able to have a baby!" when I did first get pregnant, though.

Fortunately, my sister is having a baby, gets me off the hook

At the moment, I couldn't even imagine being permanently attached to another adult, let alone caring for a baby. There's so much I want to do first

5 daughters - ranging in age from 27 to 11 - 1 married - 1 taking a second gap year in Australia - others still ensconced in the family home.

I may have to have ny own grandchildren.

for Ag.

I make my Mum pay for al the hassling (from the age of 30 to 35) by insisting she does regular bouts of childcare. My son is extremely high maintenance. I consider I have my revenge.

Again, I see that from the other end. I look forward to my children having children who who are as difficult as mine were. Well, one of them, anyway.

Some lovely and also sad stories. I have concluded I must be a strange parent. I never once mentioned grandchildren to my lads as I was hassled as a young married and hated it. Losing my first I was then hassled continuously

I don't feel it is any of my business and what will be will be.

And what will be, IS I am rewarded with a darling two year old granddaughter with minimal duties attached

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