Matthew Henry John Bartlett

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Having kids is not a ‘decision’, like buying a car. It’s a commitment to a whole life change: in attitude, in experience, in the meaning of love and commitment. For me, having kids has deepened my commitment to working out how the hell to live through this, and to finding out what can be saved and bettered, because it gives me a sense of being part of this world for generations to come, my decisions and impacts echoing on in others after I’m gone. Having kids has connected me more deeply to the world. It’s made me feel, and understand, how to teach the right values, and how to learn them. It forces me to answer questions I would otherwise never ask. It shows me what unconditional love is and it provides me with human beings I would unquestioningly die for if I had to, and with that I learn selflessness too, and all of these things make me better equipped for being in this world, even as it falls apart. All told, it shows me what life means, better than anything else ever has.

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