Michael M

I've been thinking about families & children etc. and I feel that adopting some kids would be a really good option for me.

I'm not about to do it right now, I'm not really in a place where I could support a family. I don't have a full time job or my own house, but in the future, once I've finished my degree and got a decent job, I really feel like I'd rather adopt some children than have some of my own.

I want a family, but I think why should I bring some new people into the world just for the sake of it, when there are already so many kids out there in need of a loving home? After all that's what I'm after, a family, as opposed to wanting children.

I also want to adopt children rather than a baby. I've seen how much a loving and happy home has transformed 3 children that my dad's cousin adopted, and I want to be able to give some kids the same thing - the kind of family they deserve.

I guess my motivation is still similar - starting a family, but I just feel that in many ways, giving someone that second chance is as special and as rewarding as having your own kids.

I just want people's thoughts on this, and I'd be so grateful if anyone on here who has adopted foster children would be willing to share some of their experiences with me to give me an idea of what to expect.

I know it won't be easy, as many kids in these situations come from abusive homes or some bad situation (e.g. their parents are dead), and I know that no two situations are the same and that no two children will react in the same way, but any advice is more than welcome.

Some info about me might help, I'm 22, currently living at home with my parents, and about to start a law degree. I'm not even thinking about adoption until I've done that and got a job and my own house, so I might be nearer 30 by the time I'm ready to adopt.

I don't currently have a girlfriend and am not sure if I'll have one when I adopt, so there's a chance I'll be a single parent, but I don't want to live too far from my parents, and they're in their mid forties at the moment and I'm sure will be willing and able to help out.

I live in West Yorkshire in England and plan to stay there. I don't have a criminal record.

Ideally I'd like to adopt siblings - two or three children.

Again, please let me know your thoughts on such a plan and share any experiences that might help me decide whether this is a good plan or not. Any advice is massively appreciated, thankyou.

I know this is a weird question, but I'm a builder, and I'm looking for a practical used estate car, that is reasonably new and has a really good boot. In some estate cars, the rear seats fold totally flat into the floor, so that there isn't a step up from the boot floor, it seems like an odd thing to want, but it would be immensely useful, as would a car with a small boot lip. Apparently the 2002-2009 vauxhall vectra is pretty good, but no one seems to want to tell me if the seats fold flat...Does anyone know which cars are good for this?

It seems really weird - when I'm around people I'm really extroverted - I'm talkative, loud, energetic and relaxed. People have trouble shutting me up, and occasionally have trouble getting me to leave! I'm like this whenever I'm out and about, whether its with friends on a night out, family at a gathering, or at work.

Given the choice though, I become really introverted - I don't have a desire to talk to anybody, and am perfectly happy spending hours and even days completely alone doing my own thing. My friends have even called me a recluse before because I just don't seem to get involved with things - I just have no desire to, but if I do get involved, then I turn into this silly, loud, centre of attention type.

I just think its really weird how I'm good around people but have no desire to be with them. Most people I know are one thing or the other - all the extroverted people will do anything for some company, preferring people they don't like much to being on their own.

Introverted people, on the other hand, don't really talk at all. They don't talk to people they don't know (I have no problem with this, the I can't remember the amount of times I've ended up having hour long conversations with random people on boats or trains) and barely say anything to the people they do know.

Is this unusual? Am I a bit odd in being so polarized, or is this actually quite normal?

I have a group of friends, they're the best friends I have and I think the world of them. I think they kind of know, and think highly of me too, but I've never been very good at expressing myself or my feelings, and even if I did come out and just say this to them, I don't think they'd believe it. Is there any other way of getting the message across in a way that they'd appreciate and understand? We're a group of lads and emotions have never been our strong point....

Do you think that the billionaires of this world have in their power to remove poverty because of the vast financial and manpower assets available to them? Is greed all that stands between us and the eradication of an unequal society? Or is it more than that? Is there an inherent inbalance in the way human society as it is today, or even in humanity itself?

I'm only 20 at the moment, and obviously can't predict the future, but I've been single my entire life, and right now I'm really comfortable with that, and don't really see myself settling down with someone. The idea doesn't really do much for me.

Essentially, I'm just curious as to what people think of someone who spends most, or all, of their life single. Do you think its fine, or that they're a bit weird but its ok, or do you feel sorry for them, or something else?

Someone give me a hand with this concept. I just don't get it. Do people want to be like her or something? I seriously don't get the appeal.

Right now, a lot of the people I know seem so negative and downbeat. They keep commenting on all the bad things in their life - "so and so is such a b***h" "what a s**t day" "I feel rubbish" etc.

The thing is, I really don't know why. These people are, by most peoples standards, healthy happy and loved, but despite everything they have going for them they can't seem to see it, and instead make their lives miserable by concentrating on all the minor and stupid things that go wrong.

Am I the only one who notices this? And am I the only one who seems capable of spotting all the good things he has and being consistently happy with his life?

Please tell me I'm not the only one, because all this pointless misery may be one of the few things capable of making me miserable.

I often dream about being a spaceship captain. Am I being utterly childish, or is this a bit more normal then I think? Its a genuine dream I have.

I'm an Englishman and have always wondered what people outside of the UK think of us.

I decided quite a while ago that I don't want a girlfriend or boyfriend, but every time I tell my mum this, she either thinks I'm joking or that I'm trying to annoy her. She just can't seem to accept it, and keeps dropping hints and pointing out female friends of mine that she would like me to marry, I know she often is joking but she needs to understand how I feel, how do I tell her?

I'm only 19 but I've just never been bothered about finding a girlfriend, I like being independent and doing my own thing, but every time I say this to someone they either say I'm stupid or they don't believe it, am I the only person who thinks like this?