I am not a woman and will therefore never experience both the pain and the accompanying joy of labour and child delivery.

I respect the right of choice.  So if some women want an Elective Caesarean Section (ECS), that is their choice and their right.

But, it wouldn't be my choice.  I think for some people, ECS should stand for Extreme Control Syndrome.  An ECS is symptomatic of our Western desire to control everything right down to the birth date of our children.  But life (and children) is just not like that! You cannot control everything!

For me, parenting is not about control.  I think the best parents are not controlling; instead they give a meaning to and help harness the flow of their children's lives rather than controlling them.

This is not easy! And what do I know since I am not a parent yet?

We'll see how easily my idealism translates into action in the coming weeks after the baby's birth!