citizenED

Actually, I'm not all that fussed about what type of food is served up in a restaurant. What matters to me is nice people serving me - not servile - good decor, good layout, pleasant clientelle and good company. Bit of space between tables doesn't go amiss. Like all the impressive name-dropping going on (look where I've been) so I'll join in and say that a place like Chartiers, Paris would be ideal.

Zimmered past some baggy-panted youth earlier and winced at the raucous cacophony that could be called "music" emanating from his tiny radiogram. And it was deafening too. The children of today have got it all back to front. the conventional etiquette is; music soothing, tevevision LOUD.

causing passers-by to frown

Echo Will Dex's sentiments. Oh, except when you are talking mints - it's got to be Imperial.

Yes, but, Sean I have been rendered the chat-room equivalent of speechless - commentless!

she did speak double dutch

Michael, Mrs Citizen will be there. regards due.

"Can I have a five-sixty-eight of Guinness, please". doesn't exactly roll of the tongue.

3rd seems good to me.

Hmmblugh... what-o...hmm. must have dozed off for a second there. Put the kettle on, Mabel.

Radio, HonaloochieB? Wireless, surely.

When Asset went and got a First...

It has been great to hear from those that are reluctant or wary about having kids, but something nobody has mentioned was the anxiety about having a disabled child. Hope it doesn't sound uncaring, but it played on my mind big time. It was probably my only real worry. I was not sure what to expect in general but I did have real concerns over that in particular. Even when this amazing sonographer kept going on about how rare cases of diasability were, and in the process basically telling us that ours was as close as possible to being 100% fine, I still worried. As it happens, now that I have kids, I'm sure that had one of them been disabled, I would have had just as much love for them. Does this play on the minds of anyone else?

Ratty, you say that Tillie summed it up better than you ever could - and then proceed to some it up better than I ever could. Pretty much spot on. (well aside from the Pompey bit)

perhaps, MP, thats because you're looking for some summer loving.

I kept telling him it was black, and, despite the fact that I'd spent the previous afternoon at st Thomas' having some docter check over my eyes, and despite the fact that it was past the 10pm watershed, I knew I was right. Sean, as you know, the camera never lies.

Lumbers in. Hello DM, Moos, Mikey Permafrost. Been some time. Turns to the right, flounces. Turns to the left, struts then poses. Jeez, you guys never mind that Au Pair have you not noticed...?

too many cream teas at the Chandelier, to be sure.

Keef asked "why do you love them so much?" God only knows. But as Tillie said it is, for many, overwhelming. All consuming. I used to think the same - I mean, having kids is really just a normal function of being human, like having friends, working and eating. Everyone has kids so why is it so special? But then I had some and comparing it to other human experiences is tricky because there is, essentially, nothing like it. You can ask "do I go on holiday or buy a car", you can ask, "do I live in ED or in Sydenham?" That is like addition, you can tally it up. But the love you have for your kids is not even like multiplication, its like the exponential factor x to the power of n. But then..... I was reminded of that mother in the news lately who let her kid starve to death in the flat above the pub where she worked and wondered where her love had evaporated to.

But if you were a duck

The question of whether to have kids or not taxes and perplexes us so much simply because its not a choice between the two in any real sense, not in the sense that you choose tea this time because next time you can have coffee, or you'll buy this CD because it takes your fancy. It's already been stated on here that it's not always a choice to have children. Some people can't, some never get into the position to and some people just fall into it. That seems accurate. Do we really think that we micro-manage our lives to that extent! You are with children, in the same way you are young or you are old. When you are old, no point bemoaning the fact that you were once young. You have kids - its a new phase of your life.

Nice one, Asset. Considering your E grade at GCSE Maths, thats some achievement. ;-)

It takes an (EDF) village to raise a child!

Or they'll all move to Sky

Nice one Andrew - oh and thanks for the Landlord!