I feel sympathy for Samantha Bell after reading her letter (South China Morning Post on October 14).
She argued that children were not regarded by everyone as 'the vital accessory' in a marriage and pointed out that by having children couples added to the problem of starvation. Perhaps she never stopped to think that if her parents had thought in a similar manner, where would she be? I am the eldest in a family of eight children and I am sure there are people who would consider my parents irresponsible.
But we are very grateful to our parents for giving us life. We have always been proud of them because they have taught us how to love and care for each other, which is how we learned to have true concern for others. We are not what you could call a well-off family, but my father worked hard to give us a proper education and my mother provided us with a warm and happy home.
We are now all professionals, some married, and we certainly view children as a vital consequence (not 'accessory') of the love between married couples who are true to each other. I do not discount the possibility of couples being happy without having children, but if the reason for not having them is that they consider them a bother or a burden, how will these people feel when they get old and helpless and have nobody to look after them? I think I speak for many happy families, with a large number of children, who look upon them for what they are - potential adults who will further the existence of mankind.
MARYLOU TRINIDAD Mid-Levels
