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It's a valid argument. If more people thought about the long-term costs of child-rearing, it would save them years of confusion, scrimping, regret (not about having kids per se, maybe more about wishing they'd done more with their lives first) and then taking all of this out on the kids themselves.
Children cost far more than money... they cost a huge amount of time.
Many people nowadays aren't willing to make the commitment of time and decide to be childless.
But I feel there is no better return on your investment!
Great post.
My biggest regret is having my tubes tied at 21 since we could barely afford the 2 kids we had. Why oh why, didnt we see that situations & money improve? We could have afforded 2-5 more with no trouble just a few yrs later. I'm still amazed a dr. did my surgery at such a young age without even talking to me about it.
As far as the OP, some truly cant afford them, and some would rather not make the sacrifices required. Its a personal choice, and I'd rather people not have them if they feel they shouldnt/couldnt. I've heard folks who dont want any children, really get a hard time from others. Now thats just rude and horrible, to think somethings wrong with childless couples and berate them for their decision. Not everyone wants to be a parent and not everyone is fit too be one.
There are millions of women who I wish would realize they can't afford to have children. And that's all the teenagers and single mothers having kids. I believe currently 40 % of births are to single mothers in the U.S. While there are some middle-class single mothers having children who can afford it, from the numbers on single-parent household poverty levels a lot of women cannot. And I'm not blaming the ones who end up single after divorce or abandonment by the father of their children, but then they shouldn't keep having kids.
There is no teenager on this planet unless they have a wealthy supportive family who can actually afford to have a child.
My father once told me, "No matter how old you are or how much money you make it will always seem that you cannot afford children. But in the end, the sacrifices you make for your children will be worth every penny."
I could live in a shoebox easily but kids apparently need room to grow and baby stuff is numerous and expansive.
When I say I can't afford another one, i'm saying that I cannot give the one(s) I have the lifestyle that I want them to have if I start adding more mouths to feed. Being able to save for college,decent private school, health insurance, some savings for my future etc. Our ability to breed "reasonably" by making the conscious decision to use or forgo birth control is what sets us apart from the animals.
If you live in a large high cost of living city like Los Angeles and rent, then having kids can be impossible, even if you have a pretty good income.
That is because the landlords will limit the number of people who can live in a 1 bedroom apartment. So having a kid may mean also moving to a MUCH more expensive 2 bedroom apartment.
And two people working means you MUST pretty much have 2 cars. Car insurance is also a small fortune in a large city, and even worse for young people.
Anyway that is the "deal breaker" - Housing.
In other parts of the country and rural areas, no problem. So consider where these people are living!
So there are no families in Los Angeles?! Hmm. You missed my point about high cost areas. Even in high cost areas, the median income is roughly $50k, yet there are families with children who manage to live there, not at poverty level. Certainly the median income in Los Angeles isn't anywhere near six figures. In fact, it's roughly half that. Clearly people must manage somehow, because schools would be nonexistent. Obviously there are families there as well.
Because some people take their responsibility to their children seriously and even have a desire to be self sufficient. Duh.
I know plenty of self sufficient people who don't make "good" salaries and raise children without financial support. You don't need a six figure salary to be "self-sufficient."
I wonder if people realize the average US family still makes $50k annually, yet plenty of families abound.
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