Wanting to be a mom doesn’t mean you should be one
I was raised with a strong sense of responsibility and developed a deep maternal instinct. These two virtues can cause me to grind my back molars down to nubs when I witness people that lack either of the two virtues. After reading today’s Parade section about a young woman who desired to become a mother despite having a catastrophic genetic disorder called Type II Spinal Muscular Atrophy, it left me a bit sad and yes angry. Because of this disorder she can’t walk, has brittle bones, and suffers severe respiratory infections, that often has her in the hospital for weeks at a time on yearly basis.
Nevertheless, she refused to be tested to see if she would pass the disorder on to her children. Her retort was what better family could the child be born in if they prove to have the disease. What!
To this I say, if I had you as a mother and you passed this on to me knowing it was possible, I would not be happy to be your child. Why make life harder for your children. Life is a bitch as it is. Can you foresee that your children will have the inner strength that you have? Will they cope with the disorder as well as you have? This is not a given! Mothers should put their children before their desires.
I hope your genes won’t pass on the burden to another human. And I hope you choose not to have anymore kids. I have no more molars to loose!