9/02/11 - We're slowing down after this one

[Freemage]

1: Li'l Jack is adorable.

2: Jack himself must be doing fairly well to support a family this size; it's unlikely Katy-Ann is working much at the moment.

3: Marshall as a medical volunteer makes a lot of sense to me, honestly. It's a good fit.

4: Likewise, Michelle seems fairly happy in life; for that, I'm glad.

5: Less sanguine about the concept of Marshelle. I'm inclined to agree with the poster who noted that her blush wasn't a coy, "You caught me" blush. More like a, "Well, after things with Duane bombed, I tried hooking up with Marshall, and that didn't go anywhere, and I don't even want to talk about that three-day affair I had with the Somalian pirate. I'm actually thinking about becoming a nun, because at least then I have an excuse for not having a guy," blush.

[Cornelius]

That

That's a lot to read into a blush.

[brasca]

First off, I am childfree and happy that way. That said, I can't pretend the following sentence didn't bother me:

I'm hoping there's more to her than just motherhood.

Just motherhood? Being a parent is the most important thing anyone can do with his/her life. You are shaping another human being. If you're doing it the right way, you're raising kids who can change the world, maybe not individually, but together with others, at least.

I'm 21 and would never dream of having kids at this age, but some people feel that they can take on that responsibility. And late teens/early twenties is kind of the normal time to have kids. People having kids in their mid-twenties is a little less common. Any later than that and you're considered a fossil. (Not that there's anything wrong with older parents.)

Assuming you are able to handle the responsibility on all of its levels (financial, emotional, mental, etc.), as I suspect KA and Jack are, go for it.

(I dunno if this'll give my post any extra credibility or anything, but my mom was a month from turning eighteen when she had me. She did a uh... ...not so great job. But that doesn't mean all young mothers are like that. My sister had her first at 19 and has three now, and she's doing fine.)

CEOIII: The Freshman 15 is the ~15 pounds of weight you're expected to put on during your first year of college, seeing as you're away from your parents and feeding yourself for the first time, and most cheap food is very fattening.

Had a feeling I might touch a nerve. I'm not denigrating motherhood and considering KA's statement to Michelle about slowing down after this one is appears that she's planning her family so it's likely she does have some career plans. All I'm saying is that KA is unique in that she's a devout Christian without being a fundamentalist or traditionalist. Unlike Charlotte's upbringing she knows there's more to life than just reproduction. She's someone who's nurturing and wise with a gift for helping others and hopefully we'll find out what her career path is.

[Fen]

And seriously. just motherhood is a pretty depressing career path, and I doubt that I'm the only one who sees it as such.

[MeganKoumori]

"I don't want us to get outnumbered yet," Katy Ann says with a smile. Meanwhile, the quintuplets inside her have themselves a good chuckle...

[Bardlp]

And seriously. just motherhood is a pretty depressing career path, and I doubt that I'm the only one who sees it as such.

I donno. My mother did it and she's struggled her whole life with depression; her whole self-identity being tied to the moodswings of first toddlers, then teenagers, then adults who got the hell out of the house as fast as possible.

... Oh. Wait. That doesn't actually disagree with your statement. Can I get a do-over?

[MudFlap33]

First off, I am childfree and happy that way. That said, I can't pretend the following sentence didn't bother me:

I'm hoping there's more to her than just motherhood.

Just motherhood? Being a parent is the most important thing anyone can do with his/her life.

That's not necessarily true, though. I haven't got kids so I'm not going to say that "parenting is great!" or anything because I really don't know, but being a parent isn't a more or less valid choice than anything else. Being a good parent is important and worthwhile, but I'm not going to say it's more important than the contributions of anyone else.

As it is, I suspect the original commenter meant that they're hoping that KA hasn't completely surrendered her own identity in favor of being Mommy and Wife. There's nothing wrong with being Mommy and/or Wife, but there is something wrong with pretty much entirely giving up who you are in favor of being one or both of those things. In this particular case, I think KA is still Katy Ann, Wife of Jack and Mother to [Son], not Jack's Wife and [Son]'s Mother, but I could see some concern if, say, Michelle and KA were in one another's places.

Granted, I'm also speaking as someone who cringes slightly at online handles along the lines of "alexandersmommy" or "mommyofthree" or "gabesgirl," so it's possible that I am a little bit biased.

I agree with Adri. I don't have kids, and am pretty ambivalent about them; if my girlfriend had strong feelings about them one way or another, that's how I would go (although I've agreed to surrogate someday for some gay male friends of mine, but we'll see if any of them ever cash in on the deal). I've heard being a parent is great, and obviously it's important for most of the population to do, and raising the next generation is a big deal, but...the most important thing? I'd take issue with that. There's an unfortunate stigma in the culture that views those who have the means to raise children and elect not to have children as selfish and/or lazy. Children are a choice. They're not for everyone, and many people certainly find more fulfilling and important things to do with their lives, and it's a little bit insulting to imply that the childless haven't contributed enough. It's important also not to discount the role played by aunts and uncles--especially in cultures where families don't move very far away from each other, childless aunts and uncles play a huge role in taking care of nieces and nephews. And is it any wonder that, in most families I know, the "cool" aunt or uncle is childless (and by being the "cool" one, is often able to connect with nieces and nephews more readily)?

I'm sure Katy-Ann finds being a wife and mother very rewarding and important, with good reason. I agree, though, that I hope she still has other aspirations along with that.

[Andy Metz]

"Living through hyperinflation"? Hyperinflation is what makes it hard for them to have hope for the future? Not, you know, one of the world's most brutal dictators, entire towns without running water and sewage that flows freely through the capital streets, epidemics of diseases long eradicated in the rest of the world, state-sponsored violence, kidnapping and murder? I don't really expect T to know more than what he reads in the first paragraph of Wikipedia but that's the most laughable misunderstanding of cause and effect I've seen in some time. You don't talk about the horrors of someone living through the flu as a consequence of their having AIDS.

[Zanosuke Kurosaki]

"Living through hyperinflation"? Hyperinflation is what makes it hard for them to have hope for the future? Not, you know, one of the world's most brutal dictators, entire towns without running water and sewage that flows freely through the capital streets, epidemics of diseases long eradicated in the rest of the world, state-sponsored violence, kidnapping and murder? I don't really expect T to know more than what he reads in the first paragraph of Wikipedia but that's the most laughable misunderstanding of cause and effect I've seen in some time. You don't talk about the horrors of someone living through the flu as a consequence of their having AIDS.

The comic currently under discussion takes place both in a fictional universe not ours (although similar), and at some point a few years from now that I do believe we haven't yet hit. Therefore, everything you just said is invalid, especially suggesting that the author doesn't research things before he sits down to write it out. Thank you, kindly take your whining elsewhere, and good day to you, sir.

[rebochan]

RE: Katy-Ann and children, she's still pretty young - she can't be older than 23 here given the timeframe we've been handed. It's not unreasonable to assume she's not only still in school, but taking some time to raise her kids before moving onto a career path where she can do what she wants AND support her family. Most people are not executives by 23. They're just getting started. She could also be taking a break from starting her career to focus on the kids first - it's not easy to juggle both, especially with very young children. Most women don't even have that luxury.

RE: Marshelle, hello random character pairing, how are you? On the other hand, depending on how the next page turns out, we'll soon learn if the Marshall effect continues to hold (i.e. every girl he's romantically involved in turns gay or evil). Meaning I wonder if we'll meet Michelle's wife...or cut quickly from her sacrificing a goat to Satan (an alumni tradition.)

[duckieshoes]

First off, I am childfree and happy that way. That said, I can't pretend the following sentence didn't bother me:

I'm hoping there's more to her than just motherhood.

Just motherhood? Being a parent is the most important thing anyone can do with his/her life.

That's not necessarily true, though. I haven't got kids so I'm not going to say that "parenting is great!" or anything because I really don't know, but being a parent isn't a more or less valid choice than anything else. Being a good parent is important and worthwhile, but I'm not going to say it's more important than the contributions of anyone else.

As it is, I suspect the original commenter meant that they're hoping that KA hasn't completely surrendered her own identity in favor of being Mommy and Wife. There's nothing wrong with being Mommy and/or Wife, but there is something wrong with pretty much entirely giving up who you are in favor of being one or both of those things. In this particular case, I think KA is still Katy Ann, Wife of Jack and Mother to [Son], not Jack's Wife and [Son]'s Mother, but I could see some concern if, say, Michelle and KA were in one another's places.

Granted, I'm also speaking as someone who cringes slightly at online handles along the lines of "alexandersmommy" or "mommyofthree" or "gabesgirl," so it's possible that I am a little bit biased.

I agree with Adri. I don't have kids, and am pretty ambivalent about them; if my girlfriend had strong feelings about them one way or another, that's how I would go (although I've agreed to surrogate someday for some gay male friends of mine, but we'll see if any of them ever cash in on the deal). I've heard being a parent is great, and obviously it's important for most of the population to do, and raising the next generation is a big deal, but...the most important thing? I'd take issue with that. There's an unfortunate stigma in the culture that views those who have the means to raise children and elect not to have children as selfish and/or lazy. Children are a choice. They're not for everyone, and many people certainly find more fulfilling and important things to do with their lives, and it's a little bit insulting to imply that the childless haven't contributed enough. It's important also not to discount the role played by aunts and uncles--especially in cultures where families don't move very far away from each other, childless aunts and uncles play a huge role in taking care of nieces and nephews. And is it any wonder that, in most families I know, the "cool" aunt or uncle is childless (and by being the "cool" one, is often able to connect with nieces and nephews more readily)?

I'm sure Katy-Ann finds being a wife and mother very rewarding and important, with good reason. I agree, though, that I hope she still has other aspirations along with that.

I would not say that raising children is the most important job that there is...but I think I might have read it a little differently than you. What I understood the post to mean was that raising children in general was an important job. To me, that means not just as a mommy or a daddy, but as a teacher or as a little league coach or so on and so forth. At least, that's what I got out of it. I think you're spot on about the aunts and uncles that help out when they can.

Also, and I don't know if this has happened or not (but then again, no one does!) Them starting so young makes a LOT of sense if they're a military family now. I, myself, am 22 and am a wife of an Air Traffic Controller of our United States Air force, and almost every single week there's a new memo of another child being born. I've been asked since the day I stepped on base if I had any kids yet...it's kinda one of those situations where we all start young and sometimes it's a bit more difficult for the spouses to really have a career. Hard to do when you know you're gonna move somewhere in the next 2-3 years. That leaves a lot of spouses with either odd jobs (starting their own at home bakery business, cutting people's hair, making bows/dog toys/party accessories) or a part time job or helping out in the community doing bake sales and stuff...or with nothing. And it's that nothing to do but stay home all day thing that (I think) starts the child making process a little quicker...heck, I was all set to go to convince my husband we should start having children when he suggested I get outta the house more, go hang out at the gym, apply for part time jobs...now that I have a job, I feel like I'm doing something so it's not so much of a pressure to have someone else there...

Anyway, that got a little personal...lol! That's just how I see it...

[oenone]

<3 Hi, other mil_spouse! :wave wave:

[suziequzie]

It's nice to see Michelle looks healthy - she has some proper curves and it looks good on her.

[Mr. Brightside]

That

That's a lot to read into a blush.

Welcome to the Tea Room.

[TCampbell]

"Living through hyperinflation"? Hyperinflation is what makes it hard for them to have hope for the future? Not, you know, one of the world's most brutal dictators, entire towns without running water and sewage that flows freely through the capital streets, epidemics of diseases long eradicated in the rest of the world, state-sponsored violence, kidnapping and murder? I don't really expect T to know more than what he reads in the first paragraph of Wikipedia but that's the most laughable misunderstanding of cause and effect I've seen in some time. You don't talk about the horrors of someone living through the flu as a consequence of their having AIDS.

You caught me! Marshall wasn't vaccinating that guy against one of those diseases you mention-- that would imply some awareness on my part! He was vaccinating him against hyperinflation! Which I believe is a condition where random Zimbabweans swell up like balloons and float into the sky.

Or maybe this is Michelle "Still Not THAT Deep" Brown talking, and she prefers to keep her explanation relatively simple and not too blamey or depressing, considering where she's taking her story?

Leaving aside expectations of Michelle's geopolitical awareness, I think you're vastly understating the effect hyperinflation has had on the nation. Try motivating anyone to do anything about the country's problems when you're facing an 11.2 million percent annual price increase. Of course disease and sewage and water problems are rampant, because the entire economy is broken. No, bad money didn't cause all those problems, and it doesn't justify them. But it makes them virtually unsolvable until it's fixed, and they've had five or six years of it. The Weimar Republic saw inflation not quite as bad, but in the same weight class, and the hopelessness that was left over from that inflation was one of the factors that left Germany vulnerable to the Nazis.

(Ooh, does that count as a Godwin? Probably.)