I'm stunned at this prominent article and its mostly unintelligent responses. I stepped away from salon for a couple of weeks; has it been taken over by idiots and bullies?

Rose's piece isn't even the slightest bit clever or satirical. It's sarcastic but not in a smart or funny way; the examples he gives about the stupid enthusiasm of his wife and children--how dare they get excited about their first-time-around lives--are lame enough to have been written by a 9-year-old ("a broken stick!" "a red sweater!"). Where's the nuance? I can't believe this guy is an award winning writer (I looked him up). The writing alone is worse than sophomoric. It's bad enough that I actually suspect salon hired him to elicit bad reviews so they can claim, with evidence, that it's not only women writers who get picked on at this site, a concern that Joan Walsh has articulated. There is simply no way this piece passes any publisher's writing standards.

As for the content: Mr. Rose, you are a bully. What's with the "rubber band-chewer" references? Jesus! What an ass. Proud of those bullies you raised the first time? You know, the ones who beat others up at school. If that was supposed to be hyperbole or something, it didn't work. And if it's real--that your kids beat up other kids who weren't cool enough for them--then they are jerks, and you are a jerk for bragging about it.

The way you treat and even think about your new crop speaks volumes about what you did the first time around. This isn't just a weary, "been there, done that" kind of crankiness. This is evidence of a seriously mean, selfish person who thoroughly disrespects his kids. And the way you mock your wife for her concern for the kids' safety? I believe THAT'S the evolution you should have been talking about--you know, the idea that mothers who protect their children's safety generally end up passing along their genes, as opposed to the ones who let their kids choke to death or whatever. God you're an ass. Can't say it enough.

Letter-writers: It's called reductionism when you read about an ass who neglects and emotionally abuses his family and conclude, "Thank god we finally have someone who isn't consumed by his children!" Like there's no middle ground? Are your standards that low? Erma Bombeck may not have been the world's most talented writer, but, even when she "picked on" her kids to the nation, we all knew her deep affection for them. Same with Anna Quindlen, Annie Lamott, etc. There are rants about kids, confessionals about politically incorrect impulses toward them, that still reveal an abiding, if complicated, love. I suspect most of the supporters of this piece do not have children. I sympathize with your frustration at the obsessive parenting pieces here and elsewhere recently, but trust me, this is not funny and he's not a good dad. Parenting is intense and life-changing. You should probably just avoid articles about it.

To Joan or whomever is in charge, and to salon's advertisers: I'm outta here. This piece took the cake. It was nice while it lasted.

for featuring an article on Father's Day about fatherhood written by a father...which managed to affirm the decision of a large number of your letter writers NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN. Well done.

Again, I point out that a number of supporters of this piece do not have their own children, so they are naturally inclined to jump on the bandwagon of anyone who finds children stupid and time-wasting. They might want to remind themselves that it's ok to find others' children a waste of time, but it's not really ok for the kids' own parent to feel that way.

I'm not an animal person. I have no pets and no desire to. But I would be disturbed to read about a pet owner who hated his pets and neglected them. It's called being able to transcend the specific circumstances of my own life, and understanding what's right.

Again, I'd like to address the issue of reductionism. This man didn't merely talk about how his kids can be annoying. WE ALL, even those of us who found this piece inane and distasteful (not to mention horribly written), find our children annoying--and much worse--some of the time. I for one expect NO ONE to cherish and worship my children, and I don't worship them myself. But seriously, folks, there's got to be some underlying affection, no? I didn't find that in this article.