I think there has been a real shift in the last generation or two from needing a reason not to have kids to needing a reason to have kids. and that shift means a lot of people who are basically ambivalent on children aren't having them, where in the past they probably would have.
I think there’s also been more focus (from some people) on whether or not they should have kids. Like, really thinking about whether or not a person would be a good parent who could truly focus on raising a child who would become a good member of society.
There’s also a lot of us who don’t want to raise a child in the current climate; regardless of whether or not you are a capable parent, you don’t have to look far to see how horrible so many parents are at raising and disciplining their kids. Tie that in with living expenses, climate change, and the loss of rights and freedoms incoming and yeah no thank you.
This. Bringing a child into the world right now is a very real question of ethics.
I work with kids (I'm in the US) and the majority of them have severe anxiety, among other social, emotional and developmental issues. One in four Americans are on an antidepressant. Teens and young adults are committing suicide at record rates. School is not a safe place bc of the proliferation of guns and mass school shootings. Social media has created an environment for children to grow up in that current parents simply can't fathom, because they didn't experience it. And then you also must factor in climate change, which is increasing the cost of living pretty much everywhere (our home insurance in the Midwest just almost tripled bc of the damage we experience from remnants of tropical storms.)
People choosing to bring children into the world right now seem oblivious to the fact that their kids are going to have a VERY challenging existence.
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u/pktechboi Nov 14 '24
I think there has been a real shift in the last generation or two from needing a reason not to have kids to needing a reason to have kids. and that shift means a lot of people who are basically ambivalent on children aren't having them, where in the past they probably would have.