To have kids or not to? Your opinion from economy perspective

[xandry]

I totally agree with you. Not being well off and bringing children into the world would just be for them to suffer. If you can't take care of yourself comfortably, why have children and hope you'd be able to take care of them. Waiting for divine intervention? Most of these children would turn to crimes to keep up or die of starvation. Either way, you would have given them life only to take it from them. So, if you want children, work twice as hard, thrice as hard, in order to make sure they don't suffer cause of you.

It seems that you have managed to touch on an important topic that no one has mentioned here before - the correlation of the birth rate to the crime rate in the country. To investigate this issue, we can use the same tables that I gave earlier as an example (about fertility levels). And here is the top-10 of countries with high fertility level:
Somalia
Angola
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Nigeria
Uganda
Chad
Mali
South Sudan
Central African Republic (CAR)
Mozambique

Now the most important question is: do you think these countries can be considered safe to stay there, at least for tourist purposes? Sarcasm Mode: there are so many children there, how can it be dangerous? 

[Fiatless]

It seems that you have managed to touch on an important topic that no one has mentioned here before - the correlation of the birth rate to the crime rate in the country. To investigate this issue, we can use the same tables that I gave earlier as an example (about fertility levels). And here is the top-10 of countries with high fertility level:
Somalia
Angola
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Nigeria
Uganda
Chad
Mali
South Sudan
Central African Republic (CAR)
Mozambique

Now the most important question is: do you think these countries can be considered safe to stay there, at least for tourist purposes? Sarcasm Mode: there are so many children there, how can it be dangerous? 

These countries mentioned here are highly unsecured. Nigeria has always had high birth rate but was not facing insecurities before as it is now. High population might be part of the problem but it's not the only one. High birth rate could be a curse or blessing depending on how the political class is able to utilise or maximise this growth.  An example is China, India and others with high population but are still safe to visit.

[xandry]

High birth rate could be a curse or blessing depending on how the political class is able to utilise or maximise this growth.  An example is China, India and others with high population but are still safe to visit.

I think India is not a good example. Yes, it is, of course, much safer there than in Nigeria, but so far no objective documentary about a trip to India is complete without stories about how part of the population there lives below the poverty line.
I mean, all these sad stories about the fact that the price of life there is extremely low, many people have no prospects in life, and some are forced to sell their organs in order to survive.
China has achieved security within the country through total control... By the way, it was allowed to have more than one child in the family relatively recently.

[Iroh]

What title says,

unless one is well off himself one should not be having kids, this is my opinion.

What about you?

It's only natural for a good and responsible parent to strive hard for want to give their children a better life than the one they had growing up. That is why it's really important, a necessity even, to plan and make adequate preparations for the life and future of the child. To do all of that and more, you really do need to be financially stable.
But then, you don't have to be affluent  to have kids. You just have to be able to step up and provide when needed, relevant things the child would need.
Bottom line is, if you plan on bringing a child into this inflation ravaged society, you should prepared and ready to meet its wants and needs.

[Cryptoprincess101]

What title says,

unless one is well off himself one should not be having kids, this is my opinion.

What about you?

You are right but it would have made more sense if you said that one should not have more than one child if they are not financially buoyant. Having kids is a beautiful thing after all. I once created a thread about procreation but after some deep thought i found the need to still reproduce but the number of children should be controlled. Looking at the economy of today, it's not same as it was years ago so there's need for birth control in order to avoid giving birth to children that cannot be well taking care of in the society. Even for someone who is financially stable, it is still important not to give birth to many kids because life happens, a rich man can turn to a poor man overnight so the only thing that can save such person at that period is if he has like one or two kids. Children foods are so costly now which makes it difficult in raising an infant. It is not advisable to not have kids just because one is not stable in income, at least let it be that you have a job regardless of the pay you can still have a child and not children. Having a child at a very young age comes with many benefits because you are sound and healthy which means you will take adequate care of the child but imagine having a child at old age simply because you were looking forward to being financially capable first.

[Joeboy]

Same, but as I keep working hard and make myself well off, it drives me away to have kids because I keep thinking how to make my life better.

In my opinion, the minimum salary before you can have a baby is making at least 3x of minimum salary in your country. 1x minimum salary for one person, so the other 2x for a spouse and a baby.

But, with such amount you can only live minimum, you can't enjoy your life because you keep thinking to save money for your kids needs in the future. Either you or your spouse will want the best for your kids, hence you can't save money when you have a family.

Example you have $20,000 and your kids will enter school, you have two options: public school or private school. Public school is free, private school have 3 tiers, the lowest tier you need to spend $5,000 that cover everything, middle tier cost you $15,000 and the highest tier cost you $30,000.

People will choose the middle tier because they can afford rather than thinking to grow their wealth.

Not many people said this, personally I think marriage is a big scam.

When you are dependent you will see marriage as a scam, making babies will be scary to you because you can't take care of your responsibilities how do take care of your family when you get married and start giving birth. Women are helping mate so as children too when you get old this people takes care of you when you also train them well they become your eyes in future but before we should go into this let's make sure we have a source of income to enable us to take care of our responsibilities.

The bolded part is very very important, you know so many folks believes that children are gift from above and as such they give birth to a lot of children which they can't even take care of, and this forces them to send this children to the street to beg and do all sort of illicit activities just to bring money home for the family. And here is the truth, some of the ills we have in the society today like kidnapping, prostitution, robbery mostly boils down to the actions of these children that where sent off to the street by their irresponsible parents to fend for themselves.

I will say this childrren are not gift from above, they are ratherr product of sexual intercourse between a man and a woman... And as such before anyone thinks of marrying and having kids, they should ensure they are financially stable. Financial stability here is not just about having a source of income but having a very strong source of income that can properly take care of yourself and your familyy.

[Bluedrem]

What title says,

unless one is well off himself one should not be having kids, this is my opinion.

What about you?

To be honest, you need motivation to earn. When you have little needs, you will not want to work hard because you can earn money according to your needs by working hard. Before having a child, parents only need to be aware of their own capabilities, that is, what they can do and whether they have the ability to work. But when a child is born, the parents will have a feeling of earning half of their future income for the future of their child, so they will want to work harder and earn more money. That is why I think that instead of not having children for the sake of financial well-being, you should have children by questioning your own capabilities because then the motivation to earn money will work.

[MykeAdams]

What title says,

unless one is well off himself one should not be having kids, this is my opinion.

What about you?

Their are pros and cons to both having kids or not from an economic perspective.
The cons to it is that many fear having children due to cost of living, the cost per child in some developing countries can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars,  there are parents who lost opportunity cost due to the fact that they spent investment opportunities and career growth on thier children which should have been invested in businesses, stocks etc. So these aspects sometimes discourage some individuals to bear children.
The pros to it is that children should be seen as retirement plan, why do I say so, well because they do support in old age, they provide care, security, and help financially in thier parents lives later. Children are certainly future producers because without them there's no hope of anyone becoming high earners and uplifting the family financially.

[purple_sparkles]

High birth rate could be a curse or blessing depending on how the political class is able to utilise or maximise this growth.  An example is China, India and others with high population but are still safe to visit.

I think India is not a good example. Yes, it is, of course, much safer there than in Nigeria, but so far no objective documentary about a trip to India is complete without stories about how part of the population there lives below the poverty line.
I mean, all these sad stories about the fact that the price of life there is extremely low, many people have no prospects in life, and some are forced to sell their organs in order to survive.
China has achieved security within the country through total control... By the way, it was allowed to have more than one child in the family relatively recently.

In the past, children were considered a labor force, and the more children a family had, the more they could expand their household. But nowadays, children are an expensive responsibility, they need to be fed, educated, treated, developed, and at the same time parents still need to earn a living. Today, having a large number of children in a family without a decent level of income is more about irresponsibility, and even deeply religious people are moving away from that idea. If we don’t come up with a humane way to regulate the number of people through birth rates, the planet itself will activate its own regulatory mechanisms, such as diseases and wars.

[purple_sparkles]

What title says,

unless one is well off himself one should not be having kids, this is my opinion.

What about you?

To be honest, you need motivation to earn. When you have little needs, you will not want to work hard because you can earn money according to your needs by working hard. Before having a child, parents only need to be aware of their own capabilities, that is, what they can do and whether they have the ability to work. But when a child is born, the parents will have a feeling of earning half of their future income for the future of their child, so they will want to work harder and earn more money. That is why I think that instead of not having children for the sake of financial well-being, you should have children by questioning your own capabilities because then the motivation to earn money will work.

Certain conditions are necessary for having children, and it’s better to take care of them before a child appears in your family if you want parenthood to bring more positive emotions. Children are a huge responsibility, and if you want to raise a worthy, happy person while also staying in a good state yourself, it’s better to plan such changes in your life. I can even say that even with a plan, things will still not turn out exactly as you thought. It’s definitely not a good idea to postpone having children almost until retirement age, but having a life strategy that includes an approximate age  for having a child will help you live your life more fully and create a new one in a healthier way.

[Inwestour]

To be honest, you need motivation to earn. When you have little needs, you will not want to work hard because you can earn money according to your needs by working hard. Before having a child, parents only need to be aware of their own capabilities, that is, what they can do and whether they have the ability to work. But when a child is born, the parents will have a feeling of earning half of their future income for the future of their child, so they will want to work harder and earn more money. That is why I think that instead of not having children for the sake of financial well-being, you should have children by questioning your own capabilities because then the motivation to earn money will work.

These are very good thoughts: motivation is the driving force, and if you're in your comfort zone, you won't try to earn more. But if you have someone to help you, your income will increase significantly. I remember when I was just starting out and planning how much I'd save for investments, I thought I'd have to save until old age to achieve anything with my current income. But then I had to earn more because I found motivation and found ways to earn more, that always happens when you're motivated.

[libert19]

The pros to it is that children should be seen as retirement plan, why do I say so, well because they do support in old age, they provide care, security, and help financially in thier parents lives later.

'should be', wow!  The children should be treated as their own individuals with their own identity, they are not here to serve you. If you want old age security — get insurance, invest money, hire a maid when you can't look after yourself but don't have children.

Children are certainly future producers because without them there's no hope of anyone becoming high earners and uplifting the family financially.

Children should be on their own after certain age, they aren't there to serve family either. This kind of thinking disgusts me.

[bakasabo]

The pros to it is that children should be seen as retirement plan, why do I say so, well because they do support in old age, they provide care, security, and help financially in thier parents lives later.

'should be', wow!  The children should be treated as their own individuals with their own identity, they are not here to serve you. If you want old age security — get insurance, invest money, hire a maid when you can't look after yourself but don't have children.

Instead of children take care of you, you want hire maid to do that until you end your life? Have you ever checked prices how much it cost to hire a maid? Friend of mine checked how much it cost to send his grandpa do nursing house. It cost from 2k EUR per month for a nursing house where nurse or stuff really take care of patient (not just check once a day if person is still alive). Compared to my expenses on a child, it does not cost 2k EUR per month to take care of a child.

[Judith87403]

That is why I think that instead of not having children for the sake of financial well-being, you should have children by questioning your own capabilities because then the motivation to earn money will work.

I agree to say that children is like a motivation to the parents because I discovered that when we don't have enough responsibility to take care of, we don't struggle much. But once you're into a relationship with kids you will want to double your hustle so as to enable you take care of the responsibility, is just like when people are being afraid to get married due to the fact that they don't have source of income, but when it happens unexpectedly they will be surprise on how they will be getting money to provide food and other Basic needs for thier family.

[Hardyrobust]

That is why I think that instead of not having children for the sake of financial well-being, you should have children by questioning your own capabilities because then the motivation to earn money will work.

I agree to say that children is like a motivation to the parents because I discovered that when we don't have enough responsibility to take care of, we don't struggle much. But once you're into a relationship with kids you will want to double your hustle so as to enable you take care of the responsibility, is just like when people are being afraid to get married due to the fact that they don't have source of income, but when it happens unexpectedly they will be surprise on how they will be getting money to provide food and other Basic needs for thier family.

children can only be a motivation to parents that already has a good plan before having those children. The reverse will be the case for parents who had no plans before having children. There are parents that can't take care of there children or meet up with family financial needs, are we to say that there own case is different. Having a family always comes with a responsibility which most parents fail to acknowledge and there is just to be giving birth when they know that they can't handle the responsibility of having a large family. The crucial thing is having a good plan and knowing the responsibilities that comes with being a parent before we begin to talk about children as motivation.

[libert19]

The pros to it is that children should be seen as retirement plan, why do I say so, well because they do support in old age, they provide care, security, and help financially in thier parents lives later.

'should be', wow!  The children should be treated as their own individuals with their own identity, they are not here to serve you. If you want old age security — get insurance, invest money, hire a maid when you can't look after yourself but don't have children.

Instead of children take care of you, you want hire maid to do that until you end your life? Have you ever checked prices how much it cost to hire a maid? Friend of mine checked how much it cost to send his grandpa do nursing house. It cost from 2k EUR per month for a nursing house where nurse or stuff really take care of patient (not just check once a day if person is still alive). Compared to my expenses on a child, it does not cost 2k EUR per month to take care of a child.

I don't want to do calculations, I just mean, I am not fan of treating kids as an investment or to bring them here for one's own selfish purpose, it just does not sound fair to me.

[Kelward]

What title says,

unless one is well off himself one should not be having kids, this is my opinion.

What about you?

What if in the process of getting well-off you become old before it happens or it never happens at all? What if you're well-off today and after having kids you become poor? I think that if you can afford to take care of three people within your means you can have one or two children. It is important that if you're not well-off you should marry an industrious woman who can support your finances. What we should focus on is we shouldn't have too many children that we cannot take care of. But so far you have something doing to make money you can have a few kids if you want to.

[libert19]

What title says,

unless one is well off himself one should not be having kids, this is my opinion.

What about you?

What if in the process of getting well-off you become old before it happens or it never happens at all?

Not a bother, children were saved from living in miserable conditions.

What if you're well-off today and after having kids you become poor?

I am not fan of 'what if' scenarios.

[bakasabo]

The pros to it is that children should be seen as retirement plan, why do I say so, well because they do support in old age, they provide care, security, and help financially in thier parents lives later.

'should be', wow!  The children should be treated as their own individuals with their own identity, they are not here to serve you. If you want old age security — get insurance, invest money, hire a maid when you can't look after yourself but don't have children.

Instead of children take care of you, you want hire maid to do that until you end your life? Have you ever checked prices how much it cost to hire a maid? Friend of mine checked how much it cost to send his grandpa do nursing house. It cost from 2k EUR per month for a nursing house where nurse or stuff really take care of patient (not just check once a day if person is still alive). Compared to my expenses on a child, it does not cost 2k EUR per month to take care of a child.

I don't want to do calculations, I just mean, I am not fan of treating kids as an investment or to bring them here for one's own selfish purpose, it just does not sound fair to me.

Nobody should treat children as investment and look on them from "they must do something for me" point of view. But dont you think that children are continuation of one's kind, oneself, one's opinion and vision of the situation? For instance you believe in crypto. You are huge Bitcoin and its idea follower. Dont you want your idea to be followed in a person of your child? I know that raising a child and having children is expensive, but I dont look on them from money point of view, nor from a future helper point of view.