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Don't come to me if you're knocked up
Dec. 14th, 2010 08:59 pmThis morning, about 6:45 am, there’s a knock at my door. I open it and am irked to see that it’s Rick, a co-worker who interrupted my evening 3 times the night before. I forget what his official reason for interrupting my morning was, but he soon mentions that his girlfriend just surprised him with something. Huh? She’s here?, I think. No, but she’s pregnant. In half a second my brain sums up the situation. This guy, while fun to drink and hang out with, is best described by the word, “idiot.” He’s a part-time employee who’s always broke because he spends what little money he makes like a high school boy might, on video games and guns. Yes, he is dumb enough to bring guns to work; this ain’t show-and-tell! Idiot. They aren’t married, they aren’t engaged, they’re just boyfriend and girlfriend. And she’s pregnant.
My reflex response was, [You fucking idiot.]
But if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all, right? So all I can say at first is, “Wow . . . that’s serious.” He keeps talking about the news but not excited like an enthusiastic father might be. All I can think about is the poor kid. At the close of the conversation, Rick asks, “So we’re not starting work till 7:30, right?” Yeah, I reply. “Okay, that means I’ve got half an hour to play Call of Duty.”
I did a double-take. [How can you play video games when you’ve just found out you’re going to be a dad and you’re not ready for it?!? You should be doing a lot of deep thinking and soul-searching right now, not playing X-Box!] I thought.
On most topics, I’m pretty easy-going and mellow. Drugs, irresponsibility, intolerance, ignorance, etc; I think a person’s life is theirs to fuck up as they wish. But in this specific situation, a third person’s life is being fucked with and they have no way to prevent that. I have no pity or sympathy for adults who find themselves in this situation. This isn’t a third-world country; everyone knows where babies come from and they have the rights and access to control their reproductive abilities. There’s no excuse for bringing a person into this world by accident, without the planning or ability to raise them. That’s unforgivably irresponsible in my opinion.
It’s not really any of my business, I suppose. That conversation’s just been bouncing around in my head all day, pissing me off each time I recall it.
In hindsight, I’d like to modify my title. If anyone I knew was in this situation, friend, family, or otherwise, were to come to me for help, I’d help them. But I’d do it for the kid’s sake, not theirs. I’d have no sympathy for them, but dammit, the kid will need all the help they can get.
My reflex response was, [You fucking idiot.]
But if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all, right? So all I can say at first is, “Wow . . . that’s serious.” He keeps talking about the news but not excited like an enthusiastic father might be. All I can think about is the poor kid. At the close of the conversation, Rick asks, “So we’re not starting work till 7:30, right?” Yeah, I reply. “Okay, that means I’ve got half an hour to play Call of Duty.”
I did a double-take. [How can you play video games when you’ve just found out you’re going to be a dad and you’re not ready for it?!? You should be doing a lot of deep thinking and soul-searching right now, not playing X-Box!] I thought.
On most topics, I’m pretty easy-going and mellow. Drugs, irresponsibility, intolerance, ignorance, etc; I think a person’s life is theirs to fuck up as they wish. But in this specific situation, a third person’s life is being fucked with and they have no way to prevent that. I have no pity or sympathy for adults who find themselves in this situation. This isn’t a third-world country; everyone knows where babies come from and they have the rights and access to control their reproductive abilities. There’s no excuse for bringing a person into this world by accident, without the planning or ability to raise them. That’s unforgivably irresponsible in my opinion.
It’s not really any of my business, I suppose. That conversation’s just been bouncing around in my head all day, pissing me off each time I recall it.
In hindsight, I’d like to modify my title. If anyone I knew was in this situation, friend, family, or otherwise, were to come to me for help, I’d help them. But I’d do it for the kid’s sake, not theirs. I’d have no sympathy for them, but dammit, the kid will need all the help they can get.
