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My fiance is 31, I'm 34 and we have talked about having kids, but we both have come to a mutual understanding of how society and our country in general are heading. For us, its a pretty grim outlook. We are not financially stable. We both agree that, for us, having children now, would put us in an even greater financial conundrum. We have been together for 14 years. We have seen a lot of our friends get married, have kids. But one thing that most of them have in common; they struggle continuously. Financially and emotionally.
We do have pets. One dog and one cat. I wouldn't say these have taken the place of kids (maybe they have??), but its what we can handle for the time being.
I am 30, single, and have 2 small dogs. I always really wanted to have children. Now, it seems the older I get the less excited I am about having kids and I wonder if a lot of other people feel the same way. For me, even if I were to get married or into a serious relationship, I've been working since after college and I can finally see a point where I might be able to travel, do home improvement projects, really start saving for retirement, etc. And I like being selfish. I like sleeping in, being able to go out to dinner at a moment's notice, sleeping the night through, etc. I think people get to the point in life where it's time to decide whether or not to have them, and they realize they like life the way it is so why change it? I know pets are not kids, but my dogs bring me a lot of joy and companionship and love without the life long responsibility of raising a person from a baby into a productive adult. That's a TON of responsibility and an expensive one.
Having children naturally, adopting them, adopting pets, loving them like you love a child, taking responsibility for your kids and your pets...it's all good. Enjoy!
Seriously - both kids and pets are a huge responsibility - of course, kids are a bigger responsibility. But I don't think one choice or the other is morally superior.
Just remember - dogs aren't going to change your Depends or be sure you have a roof over your head when you're elderly. But then...they also won't come home to live in your basement when they're 40 either, or dump a teenager on you when they remarry and the new stepmom doesn't get along with your granddaughter. So...pick your poison.
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 07-02-2014 at 06:52 PM..
Just remember - dogs aren't going to change your Depends or be sure you have a roof over your headwhen you're elderly. But then...they also won't come home to live in your basement when they're 40 either, or dump a teenager on you when they remarry and the new stepmom doesn't get along with your granddaughter. So...pick your poison.
True -and they also may not move in with you when they're 40 or dump your grandchildren on you to raise. But they also won't usually pee on your carpet or chew your best running shoes up!
Well. the production of kids is low-cost entertainment, great exercise, and requires no driving time or use of gasoline!
Or you could just drive to the nearest brothel, receive the entertainment you want, even get exercise, and never have the responsibility for raising kids. Compared to marriage, it can often be less expensive in the long run.
With pets, you avoid the possible hardship and anguish of having a child born with a debilitating health issue that will require them to be under your care for the rest of their life, or your life, and in the latter, the concern of how they will be taken care of when you are gone.
With a pet, if you can't deal with a major health issue, very few people will be angry with you for having the animal put down rather than let it suffer.
I'm going on 29 and I'm still not sure if I want children. Like another poster mentioned, the older I get the less I want them it seems like. There is still a lot of things I want to experience for myself.
I have a doberman right now and he's enough responsibility as it is. He's been a good companion.
I think those who would rather have dogs than kids should CERTAINLY follow their heart! And I mean that sincerely and without animosity. PLEASE don't have children if you don't want them or aren't prepared to take care of them for the next twenty years (or twenty six years - LOL). And I'll say the same about dogs. If you can't make a 100 percent commitment to taking care of another living being and giving them the love and attention they need on a daily basis, go join a gym or take a trip to Tibet instead.
Speaking of pets - kids aren't pets. You can't put them in a kennel all day (actually I think that's terrible for dogs as well, but I digress). You can't feed them one simple meal out of a bag. You can't put them down if they get seriously ill. You can't give them away if they tear up your rug. You have to bathe them every day, not once a month. Of course I'm joking to some extent but there's a huge difference. Basically if you're not prepared to put the needs of another person before your own every single day of your life for the next twenty years, don't have kids - get a dog instead. And even then, I'd worry a bit about that dog.
In my experience, the more education a person has the fewer children they are likely to have.
Unfortunately, the other side of the educational divide are still producing them like rabbits.
Jim B. Toronto.
They also get rewarded for having children under a certain age. I see it all the time, women getting pregnant before their child turns 2 or 3. Free food, welfare, and sometimes free housing.
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