More people just don't want kids.

dilettante said:
Japan launches plan to tackle falling birth rate
Click to expand...
Perhaps before you post you should do some research rather than describing anyone who doesn't want children as "selfish". We are not living in the age of Ozzie & Harriet. In many cases it now takes two incomes to support a household. Women no longer greet their working husbands with aprons on and meals waiting.

Also, young women now represent 60% of college grads so if they no longer wish to become baby-makers rather than pursuing enriching careers, good for them.

Also, do some research on the immigration rate in Japan vs. the US. They are vastly different, which is a major reason Japan is in this predicament and the US should be just fine. I'll look it up for you.

Japan's immigration rate is among the lowest in the world on a per capita basis. As of 2022, foreign nationals made up about 2% of Japan's population, which is lower than South Korea but higher than China. In contrast, the foreign-born percentage of the United States is near an all-time high of around 12%.

As for Japan's young people choosing not to have children...

Experts point to several factors behind the low birth rate. The country’s high cost of living, limited space and lack of child care support in cities make it difficult to raise children, meaning fewer couples are having kids. Urban couples are also often far from extended family who could help provide support.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/23/asia/japan-kishida-birth-rate-population-intl-hnk/index.html
 

The planet will be healthier if the human population decreases naturally. Earth's resources are not unlimited.

I have 2 children and six grandchildren. The youngest is thirty years old. One granddaughter has two little children and it is hard going to provide a home and food for the family. Because of rising interest on their mortgage, she and her husband are about to leave Sydney for somewhere in Tasmania. Once there she will be cut off from the support of her extended family. It will be hard but I am sure she will do her best.

Of the remaining 5 grand children, 2 will definitely not have children. One has a genetic abnormality and the other is gay. The youngest grand daughter says she doesn't want children, the oldest grandson has a partner who is medically too frail to become a mother which leaves just one grandson, about to marry later this year. His lovely and very loving partner will want children. I hope she doesn't have to resort to IVF.

Why all that detail? I guess it illustrates that there are many and varied reasons why today's young people might not be having as many children as previous generations.

Cast no aspersions. Think of Mother Earth who probably has too many children already.
 
Radrook said:
A lot of damage can be inflicted by people who are not qualified to raise kids just as a lot of damage can be inflicted by people not qualified to drive a car. Yet a certain amount of skill and knowledge is legally required for one but not for the other.
Click to expand...
Having a child is a human right. So is the decision not to have children.

History shows us that when some people decide who can or cannot have/raise children the result can be forced sterilisation (Nazi Germany) or forced pregnancy (US slavery). It can also lead to stolen children (Australia)
 
Warrigal said:
Having a child is a human right. So is the decision not to have children.

History shows us that when some people decide who can or cannot have/raise children the result can be forced sterilization (Nazi Germany) or forced pregnancy (US slavery). It can also lead to stolen children (Australia)
Click to expand...
No, of course I m not in favor of the abusive policies that you mention. I am merely in favor of making sure that those who are allowed to raise kids are capable of doing so in a non-abusive way.

For example, that the criminally-inclined, the insane, sadists, or those who have child molestation tendencies be denied the right to parenthood. Why? Well, because they will tend to ruin innocent human lives. For example, my former wife's brother was taught to be a thief from childhood by his mom. Result? He has spent most of his life in prison. He rightfully constantly blames his mother for that.

As for rights? Well, please note that as human beings, children have rights as well, and it is the government's responsibility to assure that their health is not jeopardized by allowing persons who pose a danger to their well-being to have custody over them. .

 
Last edited:
My six best friends who I'll be seeing today at my book club, are all childless, they are retired teachers and they all devoted their lives to children and care very much about their futures, they're not a bit selfish.

On the other hand, I believe some young couples overthink the decision and decide they shouldn't have children because they aren't perfect or the world isn't perfect. When our parents had us they had just undergone a depression and a world war. Polio and most other childhood diseases were still rampant. Life for people who weren't straight, white, and healthy was still very tough with few of the safety nets we have now.

I do think the decision should be made by both the father and mother and not just the woman. I've seen several women trick their husbands into having children they didn't want.
 
Trish said:
Childless people should not feel they owe anyone else an explanation just as, those with children, should not have to explain why they chose to be a parent.
Click to expand...

The Bible clearly prohibits sexual relations between certain close family members.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus 18&version=GNT

Also, there are very justifiable government laws against incest due to the very serious health risks incest poses to offspring.
Incest Laws by State 2024

Examples of inbreeding consequences



 
hollydolly said:
My Daughter never has wanted children. She's now 48 , she's not going to change her mind.. but it used to drive me mad when people would ask if I had grandchildren, when I said no.. they said ..without fail...'' awwww she'll change her mind''... I couldn't make people understand she had made a life choice.. her career and her dogs.. she was and is not interested in having children..
Click to expand...
Nothing at all wrong with that.

I come from a history of marriage instability, my father was married three times, my mother married six times.

When I was young, and the subject of children came up between my [then] wife & I. I told her [wife] and her mother [whom was involved in everything we did] that if & when I felt secure about our marriage , we could talk about it again. I filed for divorce three years later. That was 52 years ago, I am damned glad I held my ground, and we had no children
 
UGH! The thought of having kids if you con’t want them just to meet some societal norm is scary.

Unless you are or marry some nobility, then having kids is part of the duty that comes with the privilege of being a nobility. Presumably, you can afford nannies and boarding school if you are nobility.

I have a great relationship with my children and the grands. For me it worked at fine as I wanted it in my life.
 
And as the Youngers stated on Reddit, “It’s the economy, stupid.” A starter home in major cities starts at $1,000,000.

Childcare in major cities is what? Like $40,000 to $50,000 a year.

They cannot afford to have children. May curses multiplied upon all real estate investment schemes.
 
There's over 8,000,000,000 of us on the planet, so I doubt we're going to run out of humans. Today, I think it's easier to say you don't want kids. There's a lessening of the pressure to bring grandkids into the world. If you want kids, you can still have as many as you possibly can. To dictate that everyone has to reproduce, leads to lots of unwanted kids, who would likely have sketchy childhoods. We no longer need new family farm hands to ensure crop yields.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
There's over 8,000,000,000 of us on the planet, so I doubt we're going to run out of humans. Today, I think it's easier to say you don't want kids. There's a lessening of the pressure to bring grandkids into the world. If you want kids, you can still have as many as you possibly can. To dictate that everyone has to reproduce, leads to lots of unwanted kids, who would likely have sketchy childhoods. We no longer need new family farm hands to ensure crop yields.
Click to expand...
But the nation’s independence was based, in part, on the right to pursue happiness.

It was not based on “the obligation to understand that all the other people in the world, most of whom you will never meet, get to tell you how to live your life”.

If you are telling youngers, “There’s 8 biliion people out there telling you not to have kids”, I would encourage the youngers to reply, “I don’t care. Those 8 billion are going to be a family to ME.”

The arrogance to deny people the right and comfort of having their own families - that is just a stunning amount of arrogance. I’m not picking on you, fuzzy, for saying that. I know you’re just repeating an Internet-popular meme.

But COME ON. May as well sterilize all dogs too because we have far too many stray dogs in America and you and your family do not need a dog, ever, even if you love them. NO DOGS FOR ANYONE in your Perfect Future.

No dogs for anyone and no children. There. Two problems easily solved. (By the way, this is also why we overthrew the monarchy so many decades ago.)
 
VintageBetter said:
But the nation’s independence was based, in part, on the right to pursue happiness.

It was not based on “the obligation to understand that all the other people in the world, most of whom you will never meet, get to tell you how to live your life”.

If you are telling youngers, “There’s 8 biliion people out there telling you not to have kids”, I would encourage the youngers to reply, “I don’t care. Those 8 billion are going to be a family to ME.”

The arrogance to deny people the right and comfort of having their own families - that is just a stunning amount of arrogance. I’m not picking on you, fuzzy, for saying that. I know you’re just repeating an Internet-popular meme.

But COME ON. May as well sterilize all dogs too because we have far too many stray dogs in America and you and your family do not need a dog, ever, even if you love them. NO DOGS FOR ANYONE in your Perfect Future.

No dogs for anyone and no children. There. Two problems easily solved. (By the way, this is also why we overthrew the monarchy so many decades ago.)
Click to expand...

Remember boundless energy and laughing at anything, nothing. Now it's struggle to keep the energy and laugh at a Joke.
Whacko scientist tells us we can live forever, the pain, oh the pain ! The 10-year-old grandchild looks around the place and
says, "If we have a yard sale, we can make a lot of $$$'s selling the junk here." He's telling a joke! "I can get a new Cell phone"

With practicality young parents will spend well over $50,000 on Cells raising the kids to 18. Add internet and whatever the personal computer means till 2075 and they are into it for $200,000 - $400,000.
You know $8000 a year base cost. Add insurances and vehicles easy $1,000,000 ! Thas most likely a very low prediction. ↑ ↑ ↑ --$,$$$,$$$'s
Checking flation at 2.5% yearly meant in 50 years, if you earn $80,000 now you will need $$$$$$'s then. No more printing.
_______________________________________
 
Last edited:
Along with not having children when married, the mistakes will decrease also. Anti-abortion laws, plus for a low price of $1600 you can get...

dwqgjyu.JPG
or for the female...
male-sex-doll-yuan-qita-170cm-57-full-silicone-seamless-neck-all-in-one-814.jpg
 
Last edited:
hollydolly said:
My Daughter never has wanted children. She's now 48 , she's not going to change her mind.. but it used to drive me mad when people would ask if I had grandchildren, when I said no.. they said ..without fail...'' awwww she'll change her mind''... I couldn't make people understand she had made a life choice.. her career and her dogs.. she was and is not interested in having children..
Click to expand...
I hate when people make nosy comments and questions like this, especially in a case like this, making a patronizing comment along the lines of "Awwww she'll change her mind."

I would have been hard put to be civil to people like that. How did you deal with it, @hollydolly?
 
KSav said:
I hate when people make nosy comments and questions like this, especially in a case like this, making a patronizing comment along the lines of "Awwww she'll change her mind."
Click to expand...
yep exactly, it almost drove me at times to be rude right back to them..... it was the same when people learned I had ''only'' one child.. They would make comments like ''You can't let her be an only one''.. or ''Don't be so selfish she'll be lonely'' ...or the one that always made me maddest.. '' Don't you even want a boy ''?

First of all I lost a son when my daughter was 8... but even apart from that... giving birth almost killed me. Secondly, as I would often say to people.. my daughter will not be lonely, unlike children with siblings she can have friends at the house when she chooses, and be alone when she chooses... and lastly... ''what part of a babies sex do people not realise is determined by the sperm donor?.. As I told my mother-in-law when she was urging me to ''give her son, a son''...I could go on having babies for years and never have another boy...


The audacity of people who feel they can dictate someone's life decisions when it comes to having children still irks me to this day..
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top