Why have a child?

A friend of mine asked me why I was breeding. Not in a confrontational kind of way. She was honestly curious. She likes kids just fine, but has no desire at all to have children. She wanted to know how to recognise the urge when it presents itself. When and how did I feel the need to have a child?

It's very hard to explain. Alot of it is purely chemical. That much is obvious. You just feel a need for it. As I explained to her "you're just a bag of meat that thinks it's a person." Your body just slowly, over a bit of time, kicks in with all this need and this undirected love that just needs to go in this direction. It's completely different from the love and need that drives you to get involved with someone, though parts of it feel similar. It's clearly something inside that drives you.

It's not just chemical. If it were, it'd be easier to resist. I wouldn't do it if I couldn't justify it to myself. There's a part that reverses cause and effect. It's hard to explain, so I'll just put it in the words I told her...

I love being alive. It's really great. I think it's just wonderful. And it's the best gift I could possibly give. I love my child so much, I want to give her the most astounding thing I can think to give. Yes I know there's a paradox: I love her because I gave her this gift, that I gave her because I love her. But there it is. She didn't ask for it, She might not want it. She might not appreciate it. But it's a gift, and I hope she enjoys it as much as I do.