Children or No?

by Jo Robertson

My friend Kelly is a single school teacher. She claims that she hates stories that have children in them. She wants the romance, the one-and-only dream of the hero and heroine’s love story.

Children just spoil that for her.

Many readers have clamored for J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) to take Roarke and Eve Dallas’ relationship to the next level and bring a child into their family.

It’d certainly be interesting. Dallas has no idea what to do with children, much less how to adjust to a pregnancy and the stress and tension of a newborn.

Having been down that road seven times myself, I can say with some assurity that it wouldn't be pretty.

Remember when Eve's friend Mavis is pregnant and Dallas is required to do all those social amenities at which she is so

inept? Baby showers, birth coaching, dealing with pre-pregnancy jitters?

Not pretty.

Even though I have seven children and too many grandchildren to keep track of, I feel the same way as my friend.

When children enter a romance story, I yuck heartily and put the book back on the shelf.

Now, I love my children and adore my grandchildren, but I don’t want them in my romance stories. Come to think of it, I don’t want them in my mystery/thriller/suspense stories either.

And I definitely believe that introducing children into the Roark-Dallas dynamic would be a serious mistake.

Mind you, I think those pictures of babies with men are very sexy, much like having a man cooking. Something about men performing previously-dominated

“women’s” purview makes me go squishy inside.

A man who knows how to change a diaper? Worth my weight in gold.

A man who knows how to cook? Worth his weight in gold.

I’ve included a picture of Dr. Big with our granddaughter Emma. Precious. Sweet. But not sexy, or is that just the old guy in the picture?

So I was wondering what you readers think? Do you like the addition of a baby to a romance tale? The heroine already established with children or her own? The hero with motherless children perhaps?

What’s your fav family book or writer?

Or like me, do you prefer your romance stories to be unfettered by the presence of children? Why?

Or if you’re a J.D. Robb fan, what do you think about the childless Roarke family? By the way, Robb’s made it clear that she has no intention of creating a larger family for Roarke and Eve. I hope she sticks to that intention, but what do you think?