@BlondeGoddess: But she's saying it in a kinda gross way. I think that's why. I think it's gross to smell a wet diaper like a "baked good", whether or love your children or not. It's pee, not perfume! :) #sarahjessicaparker
@kookla: Well she's commenting on changing her current childrens' diapers so... yeah, I do. Not all of them, but at least some of them. #sarahjessicaparker
Also, SMG? Listen. There are lots of "selfless" things a person can do. One can volunteer their time to helping others, advocating for a worthy cause, donating money to charity, or choosing to live in a socially-aware way. Having a child can also be one of them. Seriously, I'm glad you're happy, I wish you lots of happiness and love and all that good stuff, but having a baby =/= selfless. Having a baby = having a baby. Lots of people have kids and don't become selfless.
I shouldn't even post this comment - it feels really mean and self-centered, but it just pisses me off when people have kids, and then tell me how awesome they are for it. People donate time, love and goodness in all sorts of ways. You don't have to be a parent to be selfless, and you don't have to be selfless to be a parent. #sarahjessicaparker
@boxspelunker: I believe you do have to be selfless, in some ways, to have a kid and raise it. But on the other hand, in some ways, you have to be selfish. So yah, in this overpopulated world of ours, I am not going to praise the choice to have children.
I love SMG but that comment bothered me. Even just the idea of her saying that people aren't capable of being good parents in their 20's. You might have not have been but others are capable of that - we all grow at different rates. #sarahjessicaparker
@boxspelunker: Yes! And some people make very good, selfless parents even when they're in their twenties! If you're the kind of person who steps up to the plate you'll probably do it just as well in your twenties as in your thirties or beyond.
Good for her, she's happy with the choices she made. That's really wonderful. But I wish she didn't have to imply that people making different choices aren't as perfect as her. #sarahjessicaparker
@Elaken: I agree with your second point, I had a kid in my 20's and one in my 30's and yes, people do grow at different rates. People who want kids should have them when they're ready. I know many people in their late 30's, early 40's and they will never be ready and I know some parents in their 20's who are doing just fine. #sarahjessicaparker
@Elaken: I can't bear it when people who have been parents for all of, ooh, five minutes, start sharing their 'wisdom' with the world. I'm glad they're happy but, seriously, they know fuck-all.
As for the age thing... I've been a young mother and an older mother - had my first kid in my early 20s and my last kid in my late 30s. There are pros and cons to both, and a good parent works with what they've got. Yeah, I was more patient as an older mother but I had a lot more energy as a younger mother. I'm more stable now, I was more adventurous then. Different, not better. #sarahjessicaparker
@boxspelunker: and if you grew the thing in your own stomach using your own dna and body materials, it isn't really selfless anyway, as it's just a continuation of your own damn self. #sarahjessicaparker
@Elaken: I think to be a good parent, a certain amount of selflessness and selfishness is needed (in the appropriate amounts and times, of course!). But the act of being a parent alone is not selflessness nor does it necessarily create selflessness. That's really what I take issue with. I know lots of kindof crappy parents, who talk big talk about how magical, wonderful and selfless being a parent is, when they are unwilling to make very many sacrifices for their child. Maybe that's why it burns my butt so much? :)
@AnotherJenn: This is also true! Some 2o-somethings are great parents. I just didn't like how condescending it sounded, I guess.
@metalkate: In a way, having a baby is completely unmiraculous - it happens every day, around the world, it is needed for the continuation of the species, etc., etc. I know when it happens on a micro level, it's totally different, but I hate it when parents act like they are the only ones ever who have experienced such a thing. It's like, on a macro level, this is nothing. Don't start lecturing people just yet. :) #sarahjessicaparker
Michael Lohan is a huge douche, but I kind of love the idea of God looking down on Hollywood and deciding who will be smote with a role in 'Labor Pains' and who will be spared. #sarahjessicaparker
@NellMood: And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is given this day in the city of Los Angeles a Stinker, which is Labor Pains, the movie.
-Luke 2:9-11 #sarahjessicaparker
Five years is NOT enough time to figure out if people will be together for life. Is that considered a sucessful marriage these days? Statistically? #marriage
Excellent. I'm seven years younger than my boyfriend, and am working on my 3rd masters (while he only has a BFA). It's gonna be smoooooth sailing for us! #marriage
@TopLevelExecutive: That's what I'm wondering. He's older, so it's right in that respect. But I think the both of them are high-school grads. #marriage
Maybe it's to do that the choice for a socially less obvious mate (older, low education) makes it clear there are other aspects of the relationship that negate those (shallow) negatives, giving the marriage a better starting point to begin with. #marriage
Dear UK Telegraph: before you use the word "scientists" you should probably make sure they're actually scientists. Because personally, I don't see someone with a PhD as automatically being a "scientist." And if you actually do a little fact-checking and find the article you're talking about, you would see that the people who made this study are SOCIAL scientists. Does not equal science the way your readers probably think it does. At least the BBC just said "experts," not that it's a bunch better.
Plus, don't get me started on correlation does not equal causation. #marriage
@jleigh: I can somewhat see the argument that a social scientist is not a "scientist" scientist (although I do also agree with egg cream that using the scientific method should qualify one). Why on earth would it be a problem, however, to say that they're experts? They are people with PhDs in a particular area of study. You may or may not agree that their field is a valid area of study, but that doesn't change the fact that they have achieved a level of knowledge in that field that is beyond the norm. #marriage
@Atomic Bowling: @egg cream: Just a quick note: I don't want to knock social sciences. I think they are necessary and useful. I just don't like how there's no real distinction between the different scientific fields (both hard and soft) in journalism these days.
I will stick to my guns somewhat. The study is a statistical analysis of couples, I see it as more a statistical study than a scientific study. I don't see that as a traditionally scientific study.
Also, I do think the "experts" line is potentially misleading. Are they experts in marriage and relationships? The woman they interviewed or cited in these articles is in Management Sciences, which doesn't seem right on point. They may be experts in their fields, which seem rather varied, but I don't know if it's proper to say they are experts on marriage and the article isn't terribly clear in which it intends them to be. #marriage
I'd hazard a guess that the real issue is that there aren't very many marriages between older women and younger men. In the U.S., at least, something like 3.5% of all marriages involve a wife 5+ years older than her husband. Therefore, the sample size is automatically a lot smaller.
(I know this because Mr. Pietra and I got hitched a month ago and I'm 5 1/2 years older than he is. He also has a master's to my bachelor's degree. Clearly we're doomed, except for the part about how we've been together for 9 years already.) #marriage
The real question is has anyone bothered to tell Jimmy Soul? The rewrites are going to cost a fortune.
If you want to be happy for the rest of your life,
Never make an older, less-educated woman your wife
So from my personal point of view,
Get a younger, smarter girl to marry you! #marriage
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/07/09
11/06/09
Also, SMG? Listen. There are lots of "selfless" things a person can do. One can volunteer their time to helping others, advocating for a worthy cause, donating money to charity, or choosing to live in a socially-aware way. Having a child can also be one of them. Seriously, I'm glad you're happy, I wish you lots of happiness and love and all that good stuff, but having a baby =/= selfless. Having a baby = having a baby. Lots of people have kids and don't become selfless.
I shouldn't even post this comment - it feels really mean and self-centered, but it just pisses me off when people have kids, and then tell me how awesome they are for it. People donate time, love and goodness in all sorts of ways. You don't have to be a parent to be selfless, and you don't have to be selfless to be a parent. #sarahjessicaparker
11/06/09
I love SMG but that comment bothered me. Even just the idea of her saying that people aren't capable of being good parents in their 20's. You might have not have been but others are capable of that - we all grow at different rates. #sarahjessicaparker
11/06/09
Good for her, she's happy with the choices she made. That's really wonderful. But I wish she didn't have to imply that people making different choices aren't as perfect as her. #sarahjessicaparker
11/06/09
11/07/09
As for the age thing... I've been a young mother and an older mother - had my first kid in my early 20s and my last kid in my late 30s. There are pros and cons to both, and a good parent works with what they've got. Yeah, I was more patient as an older mother but I had a lot more energy as a younger mother. I'm more stable now, I was more adventurous then. Different, not better. #sarahjessicaparker
11/07/09
11/07/09
@AnotherJenn: This is also true! Some 2o-somethings are great parents. I just didn't like how condescending it sounded, I guess.
@metalkate: In a way, having a baby is completely unmiraculous - it happens every day, around the world, it is needed for the continuation of the species, etc., etc. I know when it happens on a micro level, it's totally different, but I hate it when parents act like they are the only ones ever who have experienced such a thing. It's like, on a macro level, this is nothing. Don't start lecturing people just yet. :) #sarahjessicaparker
11/06/09
11/06/09
11/06/09
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is given this day in the city of Los Angeles a Stinker, which is Labor Pains, the movie.
-Luke 2:9-11 #sarahjessicaparker
11/06/09
10/27/09
10/26/09
10/26/09
10/26/09
10/26/09
10/26/09
Plus, don't get me started on correlation does not equal causation. #marriage
10/26/09
10/26/09
I will stick to my guns somewhat. The study is a statistical analysis of couples, I see it as more a statistical study than a scientific study. I don't see that as a traditionally scientific study.
Also, I do think the "experts" line is potentially misleading. Are they experts in marriage and relationships? The woman they interviewed or cited in these articles is in Management Sciences, which doesn't seem right on point. They may be experts in their fields, which seem rather varied, but I don't know if it's proper to say they are experts on marriage and the article isn't terribly clear in which it intends them to be. #marriage
10/26/09
10/26/09
(I know this because Mr. Pietra and I got hitched a month ago and I'm 5 1/2 years older than he is. He also has a master's to my bachelor's degree. Clearly we're doomed, except for the part about how we've been together for 9 years already.) #marriage
10/26/09
10/26/09
10/26/09
If you want to be happy for the rest of your life,
Never make an older, less-educated woman your wife
So from my personal point of view,
Get a younger, smarter girl to marry you! #marriage