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Americans' preferences for larger families have fallen Gallup says, possibly because of the current and recent economic climate. Americans began to favor larger families in the 1930s after the Great Depression, probably the improving economic climate led Americans to favor more children.
The younger generation are slightly more likely to favor more children than are the older generation.
I just keep wondering which half of the kid they want in the 2.5. The top half you have to feed. The bottom half... well we all know about the bottom half. Or are they talking about left and right halves? Hmm. I guess I would choose the right half. But wait, I also want the left half of the brain. I just don't think I could choose. I guess I will just stick with 2 as being my favorite.
For a minute there I thought I'd been cheated out of my .5 Then I realized that my ex has a stepson so my kids have a step brother they lived with on weekends. I guess that would make up the other .5 since that makes him part of our family by extension. Sort of.
I answered "don't know" because it's the best choice - it all depends on the couple. How many they want, how many they can handle, how many they can support.
I'm certainly not for someone just cranking out the kids while living off welfare handouts - food stamps, WIC, Medicaid. And some couples really don't want kids and therefore zero is the right number. Some people want kids and can afford one or two so that's the right answer for them.
Interesting statistics... thanks! Am I the only one who found it interesting that the higher income portion had a higher percentage of people preferring less children??
My family consists of 1 adult, 1 dog, and 0 children, which is perfect for us.
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Some people want kids and can afford one or two so that's the right answer for them.
I often think about the monetary aspect of having kids, especially if it's true that each kid costs about $10,000-$15,000 per year (to feed, clothe, entertain, reward, educate, transport, and generally provide for). If I had a kid -- just one -- then on my current salary I would be able to afford my child, my rent, water, power, food, auto gas, possibly a telephone, and insurance, and that's it. (And that's pricing my kid at the low end of the $10K to $15K spectrum.) No TV, no internet, no car payment or any kind of debt whatsoever (which is not a bad thing, of course), no dog, no entertainment (books, movies, recreational activities, etc.), no improvements for the home, no clothing (aside from the kid's clothes), no savings.
Without a kid, I am middle-class. With a kid, I would be lower-class for sure.
(Of course, the government would reward me for having a kid by giving me a tax "credit" for having a dependent, and that would help a tiny bit, but not much. Maybe it would help provide for internet at home.)
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