The topic of children is breached on a daily basis with anyone who is old enough to have them. “Do you want kids?" “Do you and your partner want to have kids?" “How many kids do you want to have?" “Have you started thinking about having children?" “Your biological clock is ticking." The list goes on and on of different ways in which the older generations ask us – millennials – about our desire to have kids. It is as if your answer would determine what kind of person you are. Maybe it does and that is why I asked people on Twitter if they wanted to have children. Forty seven percent said yes, 29% said maybe, and 24% said no. It makes me wonder, are so many of us weird for wanting to bring children into the world in this day and age?

We live in a time when tragedy strikes more often than not. We see school shootings and kidnappings happening almost on a daily basis. People are being killed for being themselves. There are some that have had to leave their countries because of how hard their situation has gotten. There are issues of financial struggles and hunger around the globe, global warming, terrorism, overpopulation, and so on. So many events terrify us and make us question every goal and dream we’ve ever had. Does that mean the dream of parenthood should be forgotten?

Many believe it should. To some, bringing children into a world that seems as though it’s falling apart is an irrational thought. They do not need kids in their lives. Some people don’t like them; others simply do not want to be parents. And most of these people worry about the impact more people would have on the world and they would rather focus on finding solutions to the current issues (some do it as teachers).

But there are those of us who still believe in following our dreams of parenthood. We want to have children because that is part of who we are. For as long as we can remember, we have thought about becoming a mother, a father, a parent. Maybe it does make us weird, even a little crazy, but that is what makes the world so special. And that is why we want to have children. We want to raise our kids to be better than all the previous generations were. We want to teach them how to be different and be able to change the world for the better. We want to create a better and brighter future with kids who will be raised by a more aware – and hopefully empathic – generation.

The world tends to be a wild and scary place, but I have learned that a child’s innocence can always make it better. They can easily smile and make you happy. They believe in the goodness of people. They wish no harm. And what we need is to emphasize those qualities so adults can think so too. This is the time to have and raise children who will keep those qualities into their adulthood.

All of us are looking for ways to make our society better. We want change that will make progress to last throughout time. For some of us, that can happen if we have children. For others, it will be easier to focus on their right path if they do not become parents. And honestly? We are all a little weird for believing either way. What is your kind of weird? Does it involve becoming a parent too?