Discussion Manga Mommies' & Daddies' Corner

[kadoman]

First time in this thread!

I'm not officially a mother yet, but will be in 26 days (get the impression I'm counting down? ) and I just wonder what life will be like with a small baby/toddler and whether I'll ever get the time to read manga and watch anime (and post at MH) ever again. I certainly hope so.

Anyway, with regards to manga and anime I hope my kids will gain an appreciation of it as an art form, both from a visual and literary point of view. Of course, I hope they'll equally enjoy novels and non-fiction. I'm kind of hoping that since we both love reading and there are towers of books stacked all over the house, that our kids will naturally fall into the habit as well.

with all due respect wouldnt it be better to intorduce your children to something beneficial like music...

Well, that depends on what you consider to be beneficial. I've met plenty of parents who think music is a complete waste of time. Where will learning a musical instrument get them in life, they ask. From my experience, I think there is very little in a healthy child's life that cannot be of some benefit to them; that doesn't satisfy their curiosity, somehow stimulate their appetites for discovery, or contribute to their overall well-being.

Reading manga would doubtless take its place alongside countless other activities a child is introduced to, whether deliberately by a parent, or by happy accident during the course of life. Either way, I'm sure any child would be glad to have something visually and narratively exciting to read!

 

[baboysai]

Kado, congratulations! I'm sincerely very excited and happy for you!

 

[eni]

Since you count so much Kado, you need a Baby ticker for the forums
http://www.lilypie.com/create_baby_days_mini.php
http://www.tickerfactory.com/ezticker/ticker_designer.php

 

[kadoman]

Thanks for the links Eni. So cute!!! And thanks for the congrats Baboysai!

 

[godofthesunn]

First time in this thread!
Well, that depends on what you consider to be beneficial. I've met plenty of parents who think music is a complete waste of time. Where will learning a musical instrument get them in life, they ask. From my experience, I think there is very little in a healthy child's life that cannot be of some benefit to them; that doesn't satisfy their curiosity, somehow stimulate their appetites for discovery, or contribute to their overall well-being.

A child robbed of music.. I hate the thought of people depriving their children of art, Where can art take you in life..well probably no where but without it well it just seems like a sad existence.

 

[jim mayniam]

with all due respect wouldnt it be better to intorduce your children to something beneficial like music.. I dont see how manga will help your cosplaying daughter or ninja son become anything more than an even more intense version of yourselves.. but if you somehow think that teacing them japanese will ... better aid them in the game of life well my mommies and daddies go ahead and let me know how their lives turn out.. i'll be around.

i never said that my daughter was into cosplay, or that my son is a student of ninjitsu. it has actually helped them immensely as far as their reading comprehension and retention. i encourage them to do their own thing, which is why my daughter is an avid softball player and a track/cross country runner. also, my sons play baseball, and take spanish and piano lessons.

in addition to that, a more intense version of myself wouldn't be that bad of a thing, IMO. i'm perfectly content and fulfilled with the way that my life has turned out so far.

just to put that out there because i'm sure you weren't being condescending or anything.

 

[ever.etal]

Heyla ...

I am much more of a lurker - but wanted to post a quick note. I just came across this thread - and it is such a find!!!

I am a mother of a 13 year old boy myself ... funny manga-mommie story :

Back in April ... my son started arguing me; if I remember correctly, it was to do with the fact that I had asked him to clean his room, then he got all ticked off when I actually "looked" under his bed to see what it looked like when he told me it was complete. His POV was that no one sees under there anyways. (ugh) This had been going on for about five minutes or so when he took a breath of air to continue ... and in the silence I said : "Itachi is dead! dead dead DEAD!"

The stunned look of complete shock on his face. The fact that he could not continue the argument anymore. He started mumbling under his breath while he crawled under his bed & started to pull his laundry out, along with all the school papers that had collected and various other things.

See my child does not keep up with the current chapters - he hates to read his manga online ... *insert wicked grin here*

 

[bigtymer32]

i'm not a father(i'm 24 too young for that lol)question for all the moms how has motherhood changed your life?

when you look into your childrens face is it like seening a mini me of yourself ?

just found this thread out the blue haha hope everyone is good

 

[eni]

Welcome ever.etal!!!

That was so mean, hahaha. My sister is 13 as well and reads Naruto by volumes too. I wouldn't dare to spoil her but actually she asks for it >.>

Guess, parents are just too busy since this thread is not very active... my fault as well, kehe

i'm not a father(i'm 24 too young for that lol)

Hm, I had already two kids at that age. My mother as well

when you look into your childrens face is it like seening a mini me of yourself ?

I get told from former classmates and longtime friends that my daughter looks like a 1:1 copy of my past but I don't see it. Though, it's a huge compliment since she's really cute

But so far... no, not really. I see lots of similarities and I see lots of differences. Both kids have a good mix of parent's genes and own personality, I would say

 

[bigtymer32]

Hm, I had already two kids at that age. My mother as well

your kids most me really young then.i'd be so nervous if i had kids now lol

I get told from former classmates and longtime friends that my daughter looks like a 1:1 copy of my past but I don't see it. Though, it's a huge compliment since she's really cute

ya thats a huge compliment


[/QUOTE]

 

[eni]

your kids most me really young then.

1st and 2nd grade elementary school. Time flies really fast ^^

 

[kadoman]

your kids most me really young then.i'd be so nervous if i had kids now lol

Don't worry, you get nervous about having kids not matter what age you are! Haha!

I can't say that my little 5 month old boy looks like either of us, though he definitely has my ears. I think as he gets older it might become a bit more obvious but right now we don't have a mini-me. I do think it'd be strange to see your own features reflected back at you, but imagine how stranger it'd be to have your own personality traits coming back at you?

As for how much having a child changes your life, well for me, life has changed very quickly and very dramatically in such a short time. Unfortunately, it's one of those things where the positives of that change are hard to put in words because it's to do with abstract things like the love you feel, and the emotions you experience whereas the negatives are much easier to put into words because they're to do with day to day practicalities like loss of personal time, difficulty getting organised, lack of sleep, meeting hourly demands of baby etc...

But despite the negatives, life with Julius is better than life without him! I am also lucky that I had him at a time when I was 'ready' to have kids and don't have any regrets of things I 'should have done' earlier so it makes facing the negatives a little better (only a litter better mind you, everything is still a daily challenge whether you were ready for it or not).

But eni is the experienced one here and can probably say more about motherhood over a longer period of time.

 

[eni]

How it changes the life, hmmm...

Well, I got my children at the age of 20 and 21 but I was pregnant years before already, yet lost the little girl four weeks before the expected birth date. My situation was the opposite of Kado's right now, I got the children before I could do anything on my own, so... yes, I have regrets. Life could have been a lot easier for me without getting the children so early. I have no base, no savings. It's hard to get into a job, so huge financial troubles especially now since they're both in school - and school is expensive. So many things to pay, we have no left overs for a weekend trip, cinema or eating ice cream. It's horrible at the moment.

My granny likes to say that she would have been better off without children as well and if she could get back in time with the knowledge of today, she wouldn't make the same mistake and getting so many children. That's huge b****sh**, frankly spoken. Particualy WITH the knowledge of her children and grandchildren, she would never ever do that. Same goes for me.

The reason why I got children so early was simply that my family broke apart when I was a teenager and I was totally lost. Coming from a loving family, I suddenly stood in the cold without any backup left. The only person I could turn to was my boyfriend who was seven years older and the wish for a family of my own was stronger than anything else. None of my children is a so called "accident".

Now back to what my granny said... If I could turn back time to a certain point while keeping my current knowledge. the easiest and best solution would be to go back to the age of 14 years when the family breakdown started. With my future memory I could easily prevent the misunderstandings from that time and also prevent myself from much pain and trouble.
But I would never do so. I would choose a point short after the birth of my last child although that won't help in any way to interfere with the family matter. But there's simply no way in hell that I could take the risk to not have my children. Everything before I happily sacrifice and everything afterwards is interchangeable. I would walk another path from the choosen point, but with both kids in any case.

Hope that answers a little how I feel about them being part of my life

 

[bigtymer32]

wow i understand way better.i can see both eni and kadoman love there kids

 

[kadoman]

Eni my mother became pregnant with me at 17. It's safe to say I wasn't planned. ^^ She was also escaping a bad family situation. She then proceeded to drill into me all my life the horrors of teen pregnancy and it worked: I was absolutely terrified of becoming pregnant until I was nearly 30. Imagine the irony then, when I finally actually wanted to become a mother and it wasn't happening due to declining fertility.

So there are obviously disadvantages to being a young mother and it's probably never ideal, but like you say Eni, it's better to be mother young, and have your darling children, then to never be one at all. You can always go back and do things when they're older (my mother is in the middle of studying for a law degree and very happy and probably a better student now than she would have been had she been younger) whereas those women putting career first and leaving having children till they are in their late 30s are taking a big risk. I remember thinking I'd sacrifice everything if only I could have a child. Lucky I got my wish!

 

[baboysai]

I'd like to have my first pregnancy by either age 24, 25, or latest, 26. I can't really say if it's got scientific backing or anything, but from what I've observed and what I've been told, if a woman doesn't get pregnant and wait for the later years, it will be harder and harder, and lesser and lesser chances too.

Well, since I plan to have at least 3 kids, maximum 7, I think I really should start early... >.>

But I can't do that now at 21 because I'm not selfless enough to sacrifice my wants and career atm.

 

[kadoman]

Oh, it has scientific backing all right - research has clearly shown that fertility declines with age both in women, and in men (little known fact, however the decline is sharper in women). As a women ages her chances of conceiving lessen over time. That is not to say there aren't exceptions.

I know plenty of women in their mid and late 30s who fell pregnant very shortly after trying while some women in their early 20s have a hard time. There will always be exceptions. But in general, most women who leave having children till later in life will take longer to conceive than those who are younger.

Ah, you don't have to worry at 21! Plenty of time yet. But yeah, I started trying at 32 and ended up being 34 when I finally gave birth, so having 3 children is out of the question for me, since I don't want to be 40 and dealing with newborns. Also, pregnancy and childbirth is a LOT of wear and tear on your body and when you're older you don't bounce back as well. You certainly don't lose the weight as easily, even if you breastfeed. *groan*

But by all means babo, go and have fun and do things for yourself, like work and travel and whatever else before you settle down for family life. It's not that having kids really stops you from doing what you want; it's not impossible to do what you want; it's just more difficult!

 

[genkizen]

Heyla ...

I am much more of a lurker - but wanted to post a quick note. I just came across this thread - and it is such a find!!!

I am a mother of a 13 year old boy myself ... funny manga-mommie story :

Back in April ... my son started arguing me; if I remember correctly, it was to do with the fact that I had asked him to clean his room, then he got all ticked off when I actually "looked" under his bed to see what it looked like when he told me it was complete. His POV was that no one sees under there anyways. (ugh) This had been going on for about five minutes or so when he took a breath of air to continue ... and in the silence I said : "Itachi is dead! dead dead DEAD!"

The stunned look of complete shock on his face. The fact that he could not continue the argument anymore. He started mumbling under his breath while he crawled under his bed & started to pull his laundry out, along with all the school papers that had collected and various other things.

See my child does not keep up with the current chapters - he hates to read his manga online ... *insert wicked grin here*

I realize this is months later, but that story was so good I couldn't help but comment, if I had kids that were into manga as well, that is what I would do too!!

Found this thread completely randomly and was about to comment on the posts on the first page...until I realized they were postmarked 2006

i actually want a kid of my own, but am not prepared to do so until I take care of some things like finishing grad school and starting my research firm (a far away dream =/ ), apart from finding the right girl. So it's nice to read all the posts in here.

 

[Gcat88]

wat if you want to have a manga baby is that okay???

 

[baboysai]

what exactly do you mean?

well I went to this anime festival in our university, and there was a cosplay contest. And there was a dad who let his kid join, he was like, 1.5 years old or something- cosplayed as Naruto, and he was let loose on the stage and everybody was like "awwwww"

he won the "cutest" award... would that count as a manga baby? 0.o