I can't bring a child into a world like this

If you keep up to date with news, especially international news, then the world can seem a very scary place. There are wars and violence, abuse and poverty; not to mention accidents and catastrophes of nature. Yet despite all the knowledge of this we still choose to bring children into the world, at least the majority of us do.

But there are some who would agree with the sentence "I do not believe in bringing children into the world without the promise of keeping them safe".

This was a quite frequently expressed view after the first world war and during the nuclear era and one which I felt myself in my teens when Chenobyl was exploding and the Falklands in conflict. Yet most of us put these thoughts to the back of our minds, or banish them entirely, and start believing that we can somehow protect our kids.

I don't know why this is for others, but for me the decision to have a child was very much about the overwhelming good stuff in life which is worth experiencing. There are risks of course, but a lot of them are manageable and many more are worth taking for the sheer thrill and joy of life.



It's almost like we need to see the world as through a distorted piece of glass, to push the horror into the blurry edges and bring the happiness into focus in the front.

The world is a scary place, but it's also a place of love and excitement which I enjoy sharing with others. I'm glad I overcame my fears and saw the goodness shining through. As the generations before have done all over the world, I realised that good really does conquer evil.