They say kids are a blessing and the future belongs to them. But should the future expect to see fewer kids? In a survey conducted by the Harris Poll in partnership with the Human Flourishing Lab at the Archbridge Institute, only 3 out of 10 US adults want to have a child.
The current world population is 8 billion. If people continue to choose to go childless, maybe that number will decline.
People shared their top ten reasons. You’re about to find out why.
1. Having to Actually be a Parent
“When I realized having a child would mean being a parent to that child.”
No one can deny that kids are cute. A few cute interactions may ignite feelings of wanting them, but when you do have them, it won’t always be cute. It’s gonna be a life-long commitment.
“From feeding to diapers to teething to school dropoffs to birthday parties to school lunches to karate to driving and dating and homework to shopping and being someone’s role model…it’s f**#ing exhausting.”
2. Too Expensive
“I’m too poor.”
Having kids is expensive, right from the start. Prenatal care, hospital fees during and after birth, and providing everything the child will need until they become independent adults, cost a lot of money. “No, it won’t magically work out if you don’t have enough money, that’s a recipe for disaster.”
3. Poor Childhood Examples
“I didn’t have the healthiest childhood, and I’m scared I’d raise a kid the way I was raised.”
Having a rough childhood, growing up carrying that burden, and struggling to heal as an adult may not be the best condition to have a child. “They say trauma is generational or contagious. So it’s passed down until someone fights against it.”
4. Had to Raise Siblings
“Raised my siblings. I’m done.”
The oldest sibling is sometimes expected to act like a third parent to their younger siblings.
When life is particularly hard, and the eldest has to grow up too fast and be mature, it can take a toll on that child. “The despair of those years turned me off ever being responsible for a child again. I love my siblings with all my heart, but they nearly broke me.”
5. Lack Maternal Instinct
“A complete lack of maternal instinct.”
The same goes for males as well, having no parental instincts. To some, being a parent comes naturally, while others aren’t confident enough in their natural disposition in raising children.
While interacting with kids isn’t a huge problem, committing your life to them is what makes the difference. “Seriously, I love my nieces and nephews, but being able to go home to the adult world is just so great.”
6. Unwanted Kids are Unethical
“I don’t think it’s ethical to have kids that are unwanted.”
You have kids because you want them, not because society expects you to. For some reason, the older generation seems to think it’s okay to have kids even if you’re not 100% sure you want them because, eventually, you’ll just “make it work.”
7. Afraid of the Childbirth Process
“Pregnancy and childbirth are horrifying to me.”
Giving birth is probably one of, if not the most, physically painful things a woman can experience.
Pregnancy will change a woman’s body. And childbirth can give rise to so many complications, and sometimes even cause death. “To me, the idea of becoming pregnant and going through childbirth is equivalent to discovering I have a very serious, life-threatening illness.”
8. Don’t Enjoy Kids
“Kids”
For some people, the reason they don’t want kids are kids. Full stop.
There’s no sugarcoating or going around the bush. “People keep telling me I’ll feel different about my own. My brain tricking me into feeling ok about something I don’t currently enjoy doesn’t make it better.”
9. Responsibility
“I don’t plan on growing up, so it would be irresponsible of me to have kids.”
Kids are a huge responsibility.
To raise children to become decent human beings and members of the community, one has to be a responsible adult to do that. “If you want to be an irresponsible adult and it doesn’t affect anyone, but you go for it, no one cares. Once you have kids though, you have to get your s#*t together.”
10. Prefer Freedom
“Lack of freedom.”
Once you have kids, you have to go all in. The child becomes your top priority until they can think for themselves.
And that requires full commitment. “I love my freedom, the ability to just pick up and go, or do a random activity, or sleep in on a Saturday. A kid would massively hinder that.”
Final Thoughts
To the new generation of adults, kids are not as golden as they once were. More people are pursuing personal goals and passions without needing to tend to another human being. And it’s completely reasonable.
What’s important is not bowing down just because somebody else says so.
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This article was produced and syndicated by Viral Chatter.
Sources:
1: humanflourishinglab.org/personal-independence-behind-declining-birth-rates/
2: Reddit: reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/13ukzxp/what_made_you_decide_against_having_kids/
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Martha A. Lavallie
Martha is a journalist with close to a decade of experience in uncovering and reporting on the most compelling stories of our time. Passionate about staying ahead of the curve, she specializes in shedding light on trending topics and captivating global narratives. Her insightful articles have garnered acclaim, making her a trusted voice in today's dynamic media landscape.
