Interesting article - How Companies Learn Your Secrets

[Kodos]

How Companies Learn Your Secrets - NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2)

Interesting article about how companies like Target use your shopping habits to get you to do more of your shopping at their stores. (Beware, pregnant women!)

[sterlingice]

I think the most interesting part of that is that all of your priorities jumble when you're about to become a new parent.

Frankly, it's what scares me the most about parenting more than anything. Yeah, I'm going to screw up the kid in some way but what parent doesn't? But I don't like the stereotype that everyone basically becomes a selfish, unthinking bastard when they become a a parent ("I know what's best for my little Billy, dammit, and who cares about the rest of your little stupid kids")

SI

[stevew]

I think that with no kids you don't really even think about other stupid kids, but in reality you probably hate them at that point as well. It just becomes more magnified when you have your own kids and you realize that all of the other kids out there don't matter to you. Maybe with the exception of neices/nephews and a few other kids of close friends.

[Kodos]

I think becoming a parent actually makes you much less selfish, as you spend most of your time putting your needs second to the needs of your kids.

[sterlingice]

I think becoming a parent actually makes you much less selfish, as you spend most of your time putting your needs second to the needs of your kids.

I don't mean to really derail things as I think we're in danger of it, but I don't mean selfish towards yourself. But there is a significant increase in selfishness towards your family unit. Basically, when it's just you or you and your spouse, you are selfish to a certain level for your family- let's call it 1 "Selfish Unit" (SU). However, when you have 1 or 2 kids, that number doesn't go proportionally to 1.5 or 2.0 Selfish Units, but it jumps to like 3 or 5 SUs.

SI