Rental Families

A friend of mine is in the process of getting a divorce. An 11 year marriage that resulted in three children, she was devastated (especially when she found out he was leaving by text message), she’ coping rather well by finding a cool younger guy to sow her wild oats with. In the meantime, her soon to be ex-husband has found an older professional woman. In her 40’s, she travels for business a lot, wants a family, but doesn’t want to give up her career, or freedom, or money to actually bear children of her own. So, what better way to have one’s cake and eat it to than hooking up with a divorced father.

It makes me wonder if this is becoming (or currently is already) a trend in the world. You hear of professional women pursuing their careers and forsaking the baby experience because they want to succeed in their jobs, then hit their late 40’s or 50’s and yearn to have a child. Some go the artificial insemination route and raise the kids by themselves, but how many out there have found that they can have kids without the stretch marks, responsibility or financial burden by simply marrying or just dating into a pre-made family. Its like part-time parenting. You get them for certain days, then give them back. You only take them when its convenient and you can dump them off just as they are getting annoying or having issues.

Even though, in most cases, the mother gets most of the custody of the children, the father is usually in the mix somewhere and has to take them on weekends or holidays or some such arrangement. Well, not to stereotype a gender, but men usually don’t do most of the child rearing, but they are really good and trying to assuage their guilt at leaving the kids through bribery, so the kids make out pretty good on the toy end, and having a new girlfriend/wife that wants kids, but not the burden of actually HAVING them means that the fathers can sit in front of the tv us usual while new partner gets her fix of kids, then send them back. Very convenient situation.

What with all the hoopla over who can and can’t get married, the expense and pain of divorcing, I wonder if it would be more convenient just to abolish this whole stupid marriage thing. Go forth, have kids if you want, share them with others, whatever.

Oh wait, that seems a bit too much like the whole polygamy thing now doesn’t it. Speaking of which (and what a horrible transition that was) has anyone noticed that the Texas polygamy thing went from a religion, to a sect and is now a bone fide cult at the moment? Thanks to the newscasters who are truly reaching into depths of great fiction to “speculate” on everything going on there without having any facts to report on.

Remember: bed in a temple means dirty old men raping underage girls. You heard it first on CNN, who was then quoted by FOX, who was then quoted by MSNBC so that means its true.

Thus ends my ramble