Is it normal i don't think kids are cute?

When I see a kid, I don't think "aww" in my head the way I do with animals or anything else cute. I just feel neutral, unless they're really poorly behaved, and then I find them annoying.

I hate when my friends shove babies and toddlers in my face trying to get me to admit I think they're cute, though. I'm sorry, I just don't. I don't care for babies, toddlers, or kids. I'll say yes to be polite, but why can't I just be left alone about it? I don't shove my pets in people's faces and expect them to find them cute.

I politely tell my family I'm not a kid person and don't want to be expected to sit around and entertain their children, but they for some reason think the more they try to force it on me, the more I'll like kids. I'm getting to the point to where I dread seeing kids, now.

Voting Results
81% Normal
Based on 26 votes (21 yes)
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Comments ( 22 )
  • Boojum

    Since I became a father, I've come to suspect that a lot of parents over-compensate: they've discovered that the reality of having a kid ain't like what it is in sitcoms, but rather exhausting, endless work with constant worry that at any moment, the little fool is going to do something stupid that'll leave them permanently disfigured, disabled or even dead.

    So they keep telling themselves that their kid is wonderful, they really, really wanted to have it, it's far more beautiful and far smarter than any other child in the history of the human race, and being a parent is just a constant stream of endless joy.

    There's also often a need for validation going on. Parents try to persuade non-parents that kids are wonderful, because every time a non-parent decides to have one, that validates their decision to have one.

    I treasure my daughter and I think she's a wonderful person with huge potential, but I've never shoved her or that opinion in anyone's face.

    Anyone who is convinced that they don't want a child or that they'd be a crap parent shouldn't feel bad about that, and they should do everything they can to make sure that never happens.

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    • Holzman_67

      I see your username and it’s always worth the read

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    • SmokeEverything

      I gotta kinda agree here. All the social media narcissism going on nowadays makes it worse. People have a kid, lots of the time not on purpose, and they get all excited so they keep it. They know that they'll be demonized as evil people, because anyone who doesn't like kids is bad and parents who don't like kids are on the same level as disney villians, so they have to keep pretending like it's nothing but sunshine and happiness. The whole encouraging others to have kids too I think comes from jealousy. Like people who work 80+ hours a week hating on people working part time jobs or skating by without much. "If I have to do it everybody else should have to do it too"

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  • raisinbran

    I stay far away from the little virus spreading parasites.

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  • SkullsNRoses

    Same here, I’ve learned how to fake a smile and tell parents their child is cute but I don’t mean it.

    I even tried spending time with kids to see if I could change my mind but no, I still just find them annoying. And smelly.

    You’re certainly not alone in thinking this.

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  • Niko12321

    Kids are not all equal in appearance but people like to pretend they are. Just like adults, kids can be ugly 2

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  • wolfiethegreat88

    Although a lot of people find kids cute its perfectly normal to not be a kid person

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  • BleedingPain

    Maybe you dont want kids, maybe you just hate other people’s snot nosed brats

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  • Holzman_67

    I kinda liked them until I worked in an arts and crafts store during school holidays. Now I’m convinced I don’t ever want to have them

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  • randypete

    I HATE KIDS AND HATE GOING ON HOLIDAY WITH OTHER PEOPLES KIDS JHEY JUST LET THEM RUN WILD THAT IS WHY I GO ON ADULTS ONLY

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  • bigbudchonga

    Get a large stick and poke them away if they come near you

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  • KholatKhult

    I’ll never understand the “I hate kids” trend.

    I love those little snot-nosed crackheads

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    • SkullsNRoses

      I wouldn’t call it a trend, I don’t think more people dislike kids these days, they are just less afraid to say it. Probably because social media has shown them that they are not alone.

      I also assume that as a guy with 3 face tattoos you probably don’t get too many mothers shoving dribbling little Jimmy in your face expecting you to fawn over him, which is the opposite of OP’s experience.

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      • KholatKhult

        I see some women say they hate children while being all smug like it’s a badge of uniqueness or whatever. I just don’t get it, if you don’t want kids fine but to act like it’s a “brag” is really weird

        Boooo I demand women hand me their children
        Even if face tattoos are contagious

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        • I get that, I don't mean to brag, I just feel frustrated and kind of vented here because I had to listen to a couple of rather bratty children scream all day. Sometimes it feels like some of the people in my think there's something wrong with me for not being as child-crazy as they are.

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          • KholatKhult

            Right, I apologize if I seemed dismissive of how you feel. I remember my sisters getting hoarded about when they’d be married and when they’d start having kids. Even though they wanted them, people were still over-involved. Some people can definitely be a bit obsessive and pushy about it. Also like Skulls said about me being a male, that pressure isn’t on me as much as it is for women

            My fiancée and I had to go through a lot of extra work for her to get pregnant as she has PCOS. I guess it just rubs me funny when people talk about /not/ wanting kids when we want them so badly lol

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    • I wouldn't say I hate them, I'm more indifferent towards them for the most part (but annoyed by spoilt, bratty behavior and get headaches from incessant screaming and whining). I don't want to babysit or watch them because they wear me out.

      I just don't understand why some of the people in my life can't understand that kids just aren't my thing. Like I said, I don't try to force my pets or the things I like on them, so I'm not sure why they find it necessary to do it to me.

      It's not a trend for me either, I've been this way since I was a kid, myself. Didn't really want to be around other kids that much and found them annoying.

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  • FromTheSouthWeirdMan

    I HATED kids before. I could not stand their annoying questions and constant nagging and snitching. That changed when I had my own. I still dont like other kids but mine doesnt annoy me like others do.

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  • litelander8

    My kids are kind of cool. But to be fair, kids are terrible in general.

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    • I will say I don't mind well behaved kids and even like the ones I know. I just don't like spoiled, poorly mannered ones whose parents never tell them no and let them continuously scream at the top of their lungs.

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      • Boojum

        You know the saying that there's no such thing as bad dogs, only bad owners?

        I don't think it would be valid to say the same about kids and parents, since it does seem that some people are born messed up or with a built-in tendency to go bad. But I am sure that stupid, uncaring and incompetent parents mess up a lot of kids who could have turned out reasonably well if they'd grown up with a different set of parents.

        When my wife became pregnant unexpectedly, I started researching how we could best handle the challenge facing us, and I discovered that a psychologist in the sixties identified three main styles of parenting: authoritarian, authoritative and permissive.

        Authoritarian parents are dictators who set arbitrary rules, use punishment to control behaviour and often lash out unexpectedly in anger. Parents like this tend to produce people who are frightened, angry and insecure as adults.

        Permissive parents confuse love with giving their child whatever it wants, so they don't set boundaries, they seek to become their kid's BFF and they give their child power over them. These parents tend to produce adults who are selfish, entitled, unfamiliar with the concept of delayed gratification and incapable of dealing with disappointment.

        Authoritative parents set clear rules and boundaries, but they treat their kids as fellow human beings rather than either their property or little gods. They're not afraid to discipline when it's necessary to make the child understand that all actions have consequences, but they're open to negotiation and they discuss problems with their kids rather than issuing orders or bowing to every childish whim. Kids who grow up with such parents tend to become adults who are independent, confident and capable of empathy.

        Other psychologists have identified additional toxic parenting styles (such as narcissistic, overprotective and dependent), but the main point is that being a good parent isn't an easy job, and yet most people believe that it's just something that comes naturally. What actually happens is that people either repeat how they were treated as children - even though they may have grown up to detest their parents - or they go the exact opposite direction - even if that means their sprogs make their lives and the lives of anyone who comes into contact with them hell.

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      • litelander8

        It’s this new way of raising kids. Parents just don’t raise them like they used to.

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