Maybe an odd question to ask on a parenting board, but - do you like kids?
I never really liked kids - was always much more of an animal person - and that hasn't changed since I've had my own daughter. I don't really like other people's kids... just my own and close friends' (no nieces or nephews yet).
Just wondering... 
persimmon / 1316 posts
I adore my nieces and enjoy my friends kids most the time but generally I wouldn't say I enjoy being around the majority of kids.. I would much rather see pictures and videos on FB of dogs/cats than other peoples kids. So as of right now I am more of an animal person I guess.. But maybe that will change when I have kids of my own? I wasn't much of a dog person either until I got one!
pineapple / 12526 posts
Honestly? No. I find that other people's kids really annoy me.... although maybe it's more accurate to say that other people's parenting really annoys me.
I know a lot of people say that they are more tolerant of things like loud, rowdy children in public after they had kids. Nope. Not so much. It annoys me equally as bad, EXCEPT when it's a very young baby. That I understand totally.
I know that sounds so high and mighty like "oh, my speshul snowflake NEVER misbehaves and Im a perfect parent." Not saying that AT ALL. I screw up, she screws up. We deal with it. I do not, however, allow her to run wild, disturb other people, destroy things in stores, etc, without intervening and correcting her. Im also not above leaving a cart full of groceries and yanking her butt out of a store if I have to.
pomegranate / 3872 posts
I love kids. I always have - babysat and worked with kids all through school. I do find that my focus is so honed on LO when we're with other kids that I don't interact with them as much as I would have before. I do notice things as far as behavior and effects of parenting that I didn't before having LO but I don't think that changes my basic feeling about children.
apricot / 456 posts
I like children who are well-behaved. I have a friend with a 3 year old and 6 year old whose kids really annoy me, because they often scream at the top of their lungs, interrupt the adults, whack the adults with toys, tantrum over minutia, etc. I have another friend with kids the exact same age who is a lot more strict, and their kids are a joy to be around. I want to play blocks with them or read them books because their kids are so sweet. Interestingly, instead of being downtrodden because their parents are stricter, the kids of the strict parents are much, much happier than the kids of the parents who let their kids get away with murder.
It was through our interaction with several different families who have different parenting styles that we came to realize that although we initially saw ourselves as the type of people who would be incredibly lax as parents, we are actually going to be rather strict. That seems to be the exception rather than the rule these days, though, so in general I would say I don't like kids. 
cantaloupe / 6885 posts
I had a babysitting club growing up, worked at summer camps in the summer, and am a Kindergarten teacher. So yes
watermelon / 14206 posts
Only my own and my nieces. I have a few friends that have nice kids that I like, but generally, other people's young children bother me.
I do like elementary and up kids, though.
pomelo / 5258 posts
Yes, I love kids. I thought that would make me a natural as a mom but I learned the two aren't directly related. Especially in the first year.
papaya / 10570 posts
I've never liked kids. I hate the noise, I hate the running about, I hate the touching things they shouldn't, I hate the interrupting people, I hate the sticky hands and the grubby faces and I especially hate their honesty - "why are you so fat?". Ugh.
cantaloupe / 6791 posts
Yep, I've known I wanted to be a teacher since high school. I currently spend my days with 18 four/five year olds, so if I didn't like kids, it would be seriously unfortunate Of course, they drive me crazy sometimes, but I really do enjoy them. I've always had a lot of patience with children, so that probably has a lot to do with it.
pomelo / 5509 posts
Nope. Babies, yes. Kids, no. Case in point we were at a haunted house and a bus full of maybe 8 to 10 year old children showed up. They were sooo...uh...annoying.
hostess / papaya / 10219 posts
@Charm54: ha! I had a babysitting club too!! and I'm an elem. teacher too.
persimmon / 1343 posts
I like kids in general. There are a few hellion exception haha but in general I like kids a lot and love to see them learning and applying their new knowledge super cute
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
Not really. Friends' kids, family's kids? Yes. Sometimes the random one off adorable sweet child? Yes. But generally no. I find them poorly behaved and annoying most of the time lol. Cute to look at but I don't want to interact
hostess / cantaloupe / 6486 posts
I adore them! I've been babysitting since I was about 10. Then worked in a daycare, then was a nanny before I had LO! I would totally babysit occasionally now but once you have your own kid people stop asking you lol my friends don't ever really ask either even though I would love it & so would LO!
hostess / cantaloupe / 6486 posts
@BandDmommy: hahaha my best friend used to tell me that she thought all her nieces & nephews were cute until she looked back at pictures. Then she would think how ugly they were as babies! lol i told her to keep that to herself about my LO
kiwi / 566 posts
Yes, I love children. I work as a Children and Youth Minister, so children are really my preferred company. I agree that there are always hellions/badly behaved kids in every crowd--but honestly, most of the kids I work with that are badly behaved, unless they have some sort of disability/disorder that causes their acting out which I try to be understanding of, most of their acting out is due to parenting and they are really good kids underneath, they just act out because they don't get a lot of attention at home or are spoiled or abused. At least in my context! I also love seeing kids out in public-they're always so cute! I just really love kids (though that doesn't change my being one-and-done: I'm happy to admire other's kids and work with them at church without having more of my own!!)
Babies, on the other hand, have never been my preferred age. I just don't like how you can't talk with them like you can with older kids and they're so limited in their abilities. I love my baby, but I will be happy to be out of the baby stage with her!
pineapple / 12566 posts
@loveisstrange: I agree with a lot of this, especially the parental influence.
I think for me, it's like with adults. I connect with some and not with others, and that's ok.
grapefruit / 4006 posts
Nope. I have never really liked kids. I love my family's and friends' kids but I would never choose to be around lots and lots of kids if I didn't have to be. I think I appreciate or understand kids a little bit more now but still don't really like em.
honeydew / 7283 posts
Not really. Obviously I love mine and my friends' kids and my nephews. Other than that... not so much.
grapefruit / 4997 posts
I love kids and always have! I especially enjoy the babies and toddler age group but I have also chaperoned much older kids to events too. Generally speaking, they are so fun, innocent, and naive yet can also be stubborn and bashful at the same time. Their minds are so amazing and learn so fast! They possess so much potential to be great and do good deeds. Before LO I did a lot of volunteer work and tutoring with our youth group at church. I really enjoyed it!
coconut / 8079 posts
I love kids of all ages. Dogs on the other hand, I love my own dog and my mom's dogs but don't really like other people's dogs. 
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
Yes I love kids even before I had my own. I worked as a nanny since I loved them so much
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
@Corduroy: Yes this exactly. I thought at my years of taking care of other people kids would make taking care of mine a breeze...boy was that a wake up call!
hostess / papaya / 10540 posts
Yes, except for bad little kids. But even then I hold it more against the parents for letting their kids be like that.
pomegranate / 3533 posts
I've been drawn to babies/kids since I was a kid! I never had younger siblings or much contact with other younger friends or family members...so I really only learned about babies once I went to college (through baby-sitting jobs, etc).
pomelo / 5628 posts
Yes! I've been to many adult parties where I've been the one to entertain the lone child. Always.
pomegranate / 3565 posts
Not really. I would say most not! They tend to be annoying. But I love my own!
grapefruit / 4418 posts
They're okay. I'm surprised how natural being a mom came to me since I wasn't over the top abou babies or kids before I had my own.
coconut / 8279 posts
I was never a kid person until I had one.
On the flip, my mom was never a kid person. She didn't like us having friends over to play, sleepovers. Our toys were to stay in our rooms. Our home never felt like a friendly place. I never want to do that to J.
pomelo / 5469 posts
@lamariniere: you make a really good point! Children are just tiny adults, after all
honeydew / 7622 posts
Usually if I like the parents I like the kids, some parenting styles are easier to be around than others. So friends and family's children I do great with. Random kids at Target and resturants... Not so much. But I feel the same way about mixing with adults in public too.
eggplant / 11824 posts
Not really. I like LO's friends and of course love LO and think everything she does is amazing but generally I don't adore children-at-large.
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