Young Americans Are Having Fewer Children - So Researchers Asked Them Why (insurance, dollars)
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Wow, this thread has gotten weird. Are some of you really attacking young people for their decision not to have children? I have three kids, now mostly grown, but at one time I did not think I would ever have them, although it was not for lack of wanting to be a mother. In any case, my parenting status and the reasons behind it were nobody else's business at the time and neither is it my business why a young person today does not have kids.
Somehow I managed to get married, have a bunch of kids, and be financially solvent as a millennial.
It’s doable, but it does require planning and making choices. There are trade offs to every lifestyle. We managed to do it on a single income in a very expensive state, too, but that was because we prioritized family and that particular lifestyle. My brother and sister in law have no kids and high incomes, but it’s not because they couldn’t have children - they just don’t want them. It’s a different set of choices.
But yeah, kids don’t automatically mean parental poverty at all. I get how expensive and difficult it is for my generation, but it is far from impossible to swing without government help.
This exactly. I know millennials who even home school their kids. So it does get me going when a young professional couple lives in an expensive city and complains they can't have kids. It just isn't true, they are making a choice to put their lifestyle first. I have no problem with people who are not cut out for parenthood. Two totally different things.
Women have been taught that money and career is more important than a family. They have their priorities backward. They should have a family FIRST and then focus on career. But no feminist will ever admit that, as she scurries off to IVF treatment after 3 years of trying to get pregnant.
Except your argument falls apart because people can adopt.
Women have been taught that money and career is more important than a family. They have their priorities backward. They should have a family FIRST and then focus on career. But no feminist will ever admit that, as she scurries off to IVF treatment after 3 years of trying to get pregnant.
You can't possibly believe this. I started trying to get pregnant after three years of marriage when I was twenty-four. It took nearly seven years of on-and-off fertility treatments for me to get pregnant and successfully carry a baby to term.
You can't possibly believe this. I started trying to get pregnant after three years of marriage when I was twenty-four. It took nearly seven years of on-and-off fertility treatments for me to get pregnant and successfully carry a baby to term.
Do I believe that the older a woman is the harder it can be for her to become pregnant? Of course. That's pretty much common knowledge.
This exactly. I know millennials who even home school their kids. So it does get me going when a young professional couple lives in an expensive city and complains they can't have kids. It just isn't true, they are making a choice to put their lifestyle first. I have no problem with people who are not cut out for parenthood. Two totally different things.
This exactly. You makes your choices you accepts them results. Don't complain you have no money for kids when you racked up ridiculous loans that qualify you for work as a temp in an area where your rent eats 60% of your paycheck and refuse to make any changes.
Accept the reality in which we live.
Assess ALL your options.
Act accordingly.
Do I believe that the older a woman is the harder it can be for her to become pregnant? Of course. That's pretty common knowledge.
Well, yes, fertility does start a slow decline in the late twenties and becomes more significant once a woman crosses into the second half of her thirties, but that doesn't mean that she needs to marry and have children right out of college before launching her career.
Why do most people not have kids? 1. my money, 2. my independence. By definition, those are selfish choices. They don't want to share. As I said it is harsh, but by definition it is true.
Safety? In the US, crime is at an all time low. So violence? No. You are very safe today.
Natural disasters? The world has existed for billions of years. So has nature. That's not new.
Health issues? Take care of yourself. MOST people shouldn't have health issues. MOST people. Eat healthy, exercise, stay a healthy weight, get enough sleep.
Financial insecurity for the next generation? I don't know what that means.
50% divorce rate? Pick a better spouse. Seriously. Get to know them before marriage. That does not mean knowing their favorite band or drink. It means hard conversations. Watching behavior patterns. Eyes open. Not wanting a big party and presents, but wanting a lifelong partnership with the same value system. Work on the marriage. Put some effort in when times are tough.
LOL.
Quote:
Most marriages fail because they NEVER should have gotten married in the first place.
Perhaps not most, but that reason is MUCH more prevalent than it should be.
Quote:
I know people who have said that they knew they would be divorced while saying their VOWS.
I agree with everything in the article. We had fewer children than we wanted to because of childcare costs and I didn't want to be out of the workforce that long. I'm a woman and I enjoy working but I also refused to put my children in daycare for their first 2 years of life. So we were poor for both of my children's first two years of life basically lol.
I enjoyed their babyhoods and honestly would have wanted another 2 kids (total of 4!) or at least one more but I they would have needed to be grown or nearly grown before I was 50 and because my youngest was born when I was 29, I went back to work at 31 and now focus on building a financial legacy for my kids and extended family.
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LOL.
