I always found this aggravating. I had a child because I was selfish, I wanted to reproduce - to put another life on this planet that will consume resources, and eventually die - she had no choice in the matter of whether she was born or not, I did.
People who don't have kids are no less selfish than I am, either - there's a reason any individual chooses to have kids or not, and the only moderately selfless reason (population control) is still selfish because you are making the choice for your own convictions.
The decision to have children or not is selfish period, everyone should stop giving a fuck about what choice they made, because none of them are "correct".
I think you mean "non-altruistic", not "selfish". In my book, at least, "selfish" is thinking ONLY of oneself. If you think it'd be nice for your child to enjoy life, why not give them the blessing of existence? Sure, it puts a smile on your face too so-to-speak, but that's a far cry from "selfish".
People who don't have kids are no less selfish than I am, either - there's a reason any individual chooses to have kids or not, and the only moderately selfless reason (population control) is still selfish because you are making the choice for your own convictions.
The decision to have children or not is selfish period, everyone should stop giving a fuck about what choice they made, because none of them are "correct".