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What you fail to realize is that these people who neglect and abuse their children would no doubt defend to the death the fact that they "love their children".

#1, this doesn't apply to the sperm donor type of absentee "father" who doesn't give a rat's behind about anyone but himself.

#2, certainly some people are ill fit, which is to say mentally defective and may truly think they "love" their children, but they do not.

This is a segment of the population I happen to work with and this is certianly true!

Then you understand the capacity for self-delusion! A mother who let's the step father beat a 2 year old with a belt may profess "love" for her child, but she isn't really showing it in her choices.

You seem to be operating with a definition of "love" which is purely sentimental and emotional and bears no relation to behavior. I won't make the obvious comments.

So, apparently the "decision" to "love your children" does not gaurantee that one would, in reality, love their children at all.

Words are cheap. Love without works is dead, to paraphrase James. You choose to actually, really love your children, not with lip service, but with the true love of a parent. Congratulations. Not every one does.

"#2, certainly some people are ill fit, which is to say mentally defective and may truly think they "love" their children, but they do not."

Hmmmm....interesting! It seems that you are saying that these people who have "decided" and "chosen" to love their children are actually incapable of doing so!

In fact, they can "decide" all day long to "love their children", but it seems you are saying they don't have the ability to do so! "You seem to be operating with a definition of "love" which is purely sentimental and emotional and bears no relation to behavior. I won't make the obvious comments."

Not at all. I'm presuming that "love" is far more than "setiment" and "emotion". That is why I said that these people " they can "decide" to "love their children" all day long, but they are too selfish to actually do so"

It seems that you are concurring with me that some people are incapable, regardless of what they "choose" or "will", to actually love their children. What I said stands, I can no more "choose" to ~NOT~ love my children than I first chose to do so. I simply do. Thankfully, God has given me both that desire to do so as well as the ability to do so.

Jean