Let me summarize.

JM is trying to establish a universal binding truism for all.

Some people like to play devils advocate, even for just the sake of.

As babies are vulnerable, it is not very different from “crippled people, feh” or “sick people, feh” or “poor people, feh”. Anybody can become crippled, sick or poor. Or not.
But absolutely everybody was a baby, and our future depends on us not feeling “babies, feh”.

My private opinion, is that it will be all right some day.

Suzanne, can you give any advice?

I do agree w/ JM’s earlier assertion regarding how she was brought up, it seems overly femisitics to the point of denial and male hatred.

it does not click w. any kind of Torah based Judaism which she studies and professes loyalty to.

She has issues w;/ this but rather than confronting, dealing, and solving these problems, she reverts to infantile positions.

As for projectile vomiting, I never encountered any of that, when I was on active service. I don’t think I did it myself either, when an infant.

It is a little exotic. Most babies don’t.

Michael’s remark puts the whole thing in perspective, however.

Who’s to say (if this is one of her goals) Laya can’t have a bigger impact on Future Generations by leading Birthright tours than some moms do by having children?

Me, I’d like to do the latter, somewhere where the Middle’s theology is kinda the norm. First, though, there should be at least two of three: Life partner, at least one steady and adequate salary, living place with more than one room.

More importantly for now, Mazal Tov to the new parents, the baby is beautiful!

However, when it is your own baby, this is a different discussion.

I believe there is a missing link here in that you need or there should be a Life partner, someone you are married to, in order to have this baby(‘s).

When this is missing, then yes, I understand Laya’s position.

I believe this is really the issue.

As for kids– JM, let’s acknowledge the biggest weakness in your case: Projectile vomiting.

You can’t just go to a college graduation and pick out a charming daughter for yourself.

The operative phrase is “worth it”. Not “that wasn’t hard” but “that was worth it”.

As for your mother, it is she who took care of you when you were a baby. As you cannot remember what that was like, for either of you, she must be your source of information about that experience, especially about what it was like on the dishing-out end.

It is entirely logical for me to wonder why she did not communicate that having a charming daughter like you was not worth the minor bothers of infant care.

As she does not seem to have told you that, you are left to observe these bothers among your friends. Their infants do nothing for you, so your conclusion is logically pretty jaundiced. It was your mother’s job to explain the personal angle. Nobody else quite can. Maybe she did and you just have your own view.

Or something.

I am sure it will all work out.

But feh is fighting words. Don’t get soft on us. If you are going to throw strong talk around, people are going to react strongly. That’s ok, right?

JM, please refrain from implying anything negative about my mother. She is a wonderful woman and was an amazing parent.

“Si je gagne, à cause de la couleur du blé”.

Michael, put that in your cholent and bubble it.

I don’t know who traumatised Laya but her mother has a little to answer for.

And yes, muffti, I’m know I was using the idea of having once been something with a little liberally. Still, our having once been something is no indicator of our debt to other things in that state. Or something.

In fairness to JM (though Muffti isn’t sure what she was driving at) WE were not really ever monkeys. Evolving from something doesn’t mean that you were once that thing. Muffti may well have rich ancestors. But Muffti has never been rich despite descending from them.

However, we truly were all babies once!