Inky,

I am not going to have kids. So that part doesn’t apply to me. When I see a baby I might think of how cute they are, but I want nothing to do with their care because of my own stuff. Totally agree on the co-dependent part though. I’m aware of it, and it could very well be a mess. If I let it.

Anita,

Yeah, I think that’s what I mean about loving myself and loving another. I guess I do love myself a bit; if I didn’t, I’d probably have ended my life. And your comments about parenthood are spot on–I don’t have my stuff together enough to have kids, and I really don’t want the responsibility (I also think of overpopulation and what kind of world kids are being raised in, but that’s a different discussion). The empathy thing is also spot on. The empathy shift is a good suggestion.