Is the world as it is today putting you off having kids?

[Izzy]

Make sure you have given the correct description or they might be sent back as faulty.

Sorry, strictly no returns

[foxoffderby]

Kids are great, but you need a good support network hence I only had the one

[stix]

The world is safer than it's ever been actually.

I don't believe that for a second. And I don't care what any statistics tell me either.

It's safer in the respect of there being the most state of the art equipment available to eliminate the dangers....but the dangers have never been so prominent in day to day life. I'm talking terrorism not war.

You're only kidding yourself if you think that a terrorist attack isn't ALWAYS a possibility.

And I'm favouring the Bremain camp.

[Webbo]

I don't believe that for a second. And I don't care what any statistics tell me either.

It's safer in the respect of there being the most state of the art equipment available to eliminate the dangers....but the dangers have never been so prominent in day to day life. I'm talking terrorism not war.

You're only kidding yourself if you think that a terrorist attack isn't ALWAYS a possibility.

And I'm favouring the Bremain camp.

The IRA were a constant danger when I was a kid, they killed more every year than the Islamists have in this country.

[AyewJoking]

have a child and my main concern over having more would be the financial strain

 

This country seems to be on a downward spiral though and i dont want to depress myself thinking how things will be in years to come.

[Rincewind]

What is frightening is that guns can be home made by 3D printing. All it needs is a good graphic designer wh can draw it and a £1000 for a decent printer and in 24 hours you have your own Uzee.

 

That said there are a lot of things that can improve lives with the printer. Even houses. Perhaps this is where the basic living income will come into play. It will be cheaper to give someone one to print off everyday needs than giving them money.

May go to Leicester Hackspace meeting Tues with other fec geeks.

[Jattdogg]

Not at all. Wife popped out 2 of my insanely busy kids and wouldnt change it for the world. Would have more if they werent so costly

Shite happens all the time but cant let it stop you from enjoying parenthood.

These hooligans got nothing on my kids!

[ozleicester]

you cannot ever measure or explain the joy they bring.

 

the world is mostly safe these days and by having a child you have the oportuntity to help improve the world, if you are actually thinking about the good/bad of having children, you are probably someone who should be having them..

 

 

Of course im not sure this movie helps the case for the affirmative

[TheLittleBigMan]

Yes. The planet has reached a critical point. Natural resources have depleted to ridiculous levels with no sign of retreat. The effects of the damage done to the environment is and will be experienced at more and more harsher levels. Aslong as there is an arms industry there will always be war. We are safe in our bubbles feeding these things as we go along and we should be concentrating on changing this way of living before we think of bringing another life into it.

If I ever decide to have children I think adoption is the way forward. The world doesn't need more people just better ones that are already here.

[Captain...]

As others have said, this world is great, we have never been safer, healthier, richer we live in times of unprecedented levels of travel and communication. Which is amazing but also has consequences, we have opened up the world but also made it smaller. Which means every bad thing that happens around the world becomes news. Social media also acts to amplify every bad thing that happens. We are safer now than we ever have been, http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-10-23/world-actually-safer-ever-and-heres-data-provebut the media loves a good scare story.

When you actually stop and think how easy it would be to "attack the West", the shooting yesterday in Orlando was simple brutal and way too easy, but how many times have we been attacked? The answer is far too many, but in the grand scheme of things more people kill themselves every year than are killed by terrorists. Lifestyle disease also kill a lot more than ISIS, our biggest danger is to ourselves.

There really aren't that many monsters out there trying to destroy us, just a small bunch of noisy cvnts who are using social media to propagate the myth that they can in anyway threaten us or harm our way of life.

If you want to bring kids into this world then there has never been a safer time, all you need to do is love them and care for them and make sure they are educated kind decent people, and that will be one more good person to add to the billions there already are on this crazy beautiful amazing planet of ours. Just be careful though, statistically you are more likely to kill your own child than any terrorist.

[Bayfox]

I can certainly see why the OP would ask the question, and some of the responses bring up some interesting points, certainly with the advances in medicine and technology there are massive benefits and positives from that.

 

The flip side could be argued that, despite the fact that the world in general is in relative peace, ie no current world wars, and a lot of what goes on is not on our doorstep, it does only take a few nutters to get hold of the wrong things and well, it doesn't bear thinking about and if the worst happened I guess it would be over pretty quickly.

 

I'm still a little surprised some of these people haven't managed to mass pollute a water source or food supply to a high level as yet, but maybe that shows how on the ball security services can be.

 

As for more local concerns, I think I am trying to educate my kids, to be rounded, polite (well at least in public) well mannered children, that understand the need to learn at school, the need to work and the value of money. What worries me is those that seem to think getting there kids up in the morning and getting them to school is a hardship, those kids learn from their parents they are the sort of kids that then become a social problem later in life.

 

We seem to have had a recent increase in crime locally, and now days with everyone having a TV and DVD's etc being so cheap it's always just cash and phones that go missing, I do dread the day my kids ask for phones because their mates have them, my little girl wouldn't stand a chance fighting back against a group of people, she just isn't that way.

 

I just hope I can make them aware and open eyed to the social spectrum and they make good choices, in terms of education, friendship circles and social activities.

 

Maybe in hindsight, I would have less worries if I hadn't had them, but I love my family and they enrich my life as a whole. There's an unconditional bond between your bloodline.

[Wymsey]

The world is getting safer as presidents and prime ministers, as a whole, are listening to people's concerns and want to put things right.

 

Unlike a few years ago with Blair and Bush in charge, where they actually made their own national security worse (such as going to Iraq in '03).

[Finnegan]

I really hate people with kids who make out its the best thing in the world for everyone.

No, it's the best thing in the world for you.

Fair play, a few of my friends have kids and they're happy as anything, don't doubt.

But it doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. Not because of THE WORLD WE LIVE IN (davieG smashed that argument in his first reply) but just because there's so much shit I want to do and see and spend my hard earned on.

[davieG]

I really hate people with kids who make out its the best thing in the world for everyone.

No, it's the best thing in the world for you.

Fair play, a few of my friends have kids and they're happy as anything, don't doubt.

But it doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. Not because of THE WORLD WE LIVE IN (davieG smashed that argument in his first reply) but just because there's so much shit I want to do and see and spend my hard earned on.

Not everyone is suited for having children and no one should be pressured into it.

 

Fact is plenty do have them but probably shouldn't.  Sometimes I get the distinct  feeling that some have them as status symbols.

 

One of my best friends who I've sadly lost touch with decided children wasn't  for them  and his wife was a teacher, they  used to dote on ours and ran events for kids but their phylosphy was they could choose or not to be involved as and when and that's  what suited them.

[Wymsey]

Not everyone is suited for having children and no one should be pressured into it.

 

Fact is plenty do have them but probably shouldn't.  Sometimes I get the distinct  feeling that some have them as status symbols.

 

One of my best friends who I've sadly lost touch with decided children wasn't  for them  and his wife was a teacher, they  used to dote on ours and ran events for kids but their phylosphy was they could choose or not to be involved as and when and that's  what suited them.

+1 for this in particular.

 

Been a good number of news articles stating young people having kids and then beating them up or killing them.

Sadly, it appears now with friends etc that the more children you have etc the more you're successful over your friends. It's just pressurizing those that don't have any, and shouldn't have any, to do so for the sake of 'keeping up' with peers.

[Jon the Hat]

I really hate people with kids who make out its the best thing in the world for everyone.

No, it's the best thing in the world for you.

Fair play, a few of my friends have kids and they're happy as anything, don't doubt.

But it doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. Not because of THE WORLD WE LIVE IN (davieG smashed that argument in his first reply) but just because there's so much shit I want to do and see and spend my hard earned on.

If there is one thing for sure we don't need any more Welsh!  

Well done that man!

[Izzy]

I really hate people with kids who make out its the best thing in the world for everyone.

No, it's the best thing in the world for you.

Fair play, a few of my friends have kids and they're happy as anything, don't doubt.

But it doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. Not because of THE WORLD WE LIVE IN (davieG smashed that argument in his first reply) but just because there's so much shit I want to do and see and spend my hard earned on.

In my 20's it didn't appeal to me in the slightest either. I spent all my hard earned money on the shit I wanted to do and see and it was great. Then I fell in love, got married and had two kids which I never thought I would. Just because kids aren't right for you now, doesn't mean they won't be right for you in the future...

[Finnegan]

In my 20's it didn't appeal to me in the slightest either. I spent all my hard earned money on the shit I wanted to do and see and it was great. Then I fell in love, got married and had two kids which I never thought I would. Just because kids aren't right for you now, doesn't mean they won't be right for you in the future...

I'm thirty and am living with my long term girlfriend of five years.

[Dodgy Bob]

Been trying for a while but it's no happening and starting to become a bit of an elephant in the room. Shits going to go down if it turns out one of us is impotent. Whoever it is will certainly end the relationship for the supposed good of the other party. If it's me I'll probably go off the rails a bit, start having coffee past midday, upgrading my phone before I really need to, that kind of thing.

I've never been that bothered by having kids but the prospect of not being able to have one has brought home how sad I would feel to be a middle aged and later an old man without a family, regardless of whatever other experiences might be available. I've already travelled the world anyway. Kids can do things too, they don't render you completely sedentary.

[Jon the Hat]

I'm thirty and am living with my long term girlfriend of five years.

 

Don't worry, the two of you will run out of things to say eventually, and Kids fill that gap forever!

[Finnegan]

Don't worry, the two of you will run out of things to say eventually, and Kids fill that gap forever!

I'm pretty sure people with kids just like to try and convince everyone else they'll eventually want kids to try and convince themselves it's okay they just threw twenty plus years of their life away tbh.

[Jon the Hat]

I'm pretty sure people with kids just like to try and convince everyone else they'll eventually want kids to try and convince themselves it's okay they just threw twenty plus years of their life away tbh.

 

Our plan to share the pain is revealed!

[Cheese]

2000's Iraq & Afghanistan war on terror

1990's Iraq war

1980's Falklands war

1950's - 1990's constant nuclear threat

1940's Second world war

This current time (As long as it may last) is the first time for a while where we have been at relative peace. Apart from a mild terrorist threat that so far has had only a minor impact on us, nothing compared to the London bombings, this is probably the safest time for children to grow up. As well as a high standard of living and a recovering economy, children born today will probably have a better life than those before them.

 

But I won't be engaging in having children. I already am a single parent to a cat (used to be two but one ran away) and I don't think I could cope with the financial strain of a human child.

[Cheese]

I also don't understand what the original poster means by the world ending in the next 100 years. If you are concerned about the sun burning out then don't worry as that won't happen yet. if you are referring to mass overpopulation resulting in lack of resources, famine, war and disease then I personally wouldn't panic as that won't happen until the world has a population of 30 billion plus. Which will probably happen in 150-200 years. If you are concerned about nuclear annihilation then I suggest you migrate to a obscure country such as Chad or Tajikistan, as they are unlikely to get nuked.  

[Izzy]

I'm thirty and am living with my long term girlfriend of five years.

 

Good for you. I don't give a toss if you have kids or not - it's none of my business. And I certainly won't preach that having kids is the be all and end all because it's not. All I'm saying is that people change and you might too. I know guys who have kids when in their 50's because they felt the time was right for them, so don't be surprised if you wake up and suddenly feel the 'urge' to have kids one day