Big family vs over population

[sidonie1]

What do people think about the issues of over population in relationship to having more children?

I have three children - one toddler and twin babies - and have been thinking about wanting a fourth, but concerned it's not good environmentally and socially. My husband isn't keen on the idea of adoption or fostering, although I would love to do that.

Would be really interested in your views (if it's not too loaded a question in a forum for bigger families!).

[Lucyannieamy]

As I'm hanging around this board still deliberating going from 2 to 3 I can say this is a thought I've also had. However in DH and I circle of long time friends we have a high number of child less singles and couples (we are 36) who have said they are unlikely to have kids or would stop at one for a whole variety of reasons. So iI figure it works out even in the end.

[Foreverconfused]

It's a pity that they make adoption so difficult as I would be more than willing to adopt since I already have 2 biological children. I've just always pictured 3 kids , and as like you do worry about the over population.

[PacificDogwood]

I think environmentally and socially it makes perfect sense not to procreate/only have one child.

We have four , by choice and entirely wanted and planned.
I feel a sense of responsibility towards raising them as considerate and resource aware people, probably to assuage some vague sense of guilt.

[fakenamefornow]

I do think about this, I have three, all planned and wanted but am aware that we have more than our fair share, if you can put it that way. Neither dh nor I have siblings with children or who will have children I sometimes think that makes it OK for us to have extra but I know that's bollocks. So, yes I did think about it but it didn't change my decisions, although actually I would have liked even more.

BTW I believe we have reached 'peak child' so although population is still going up the birth rate isn't.

[Athenaviolet]

I don't feel bad because my family is dying out!

I'm an only. My df only had one sibling who only has one grandchild. My DM has a nephew who has an only (won't have more) and 2 nieces who are 30 something and childless.

One reason I wanted a big family is to compensate for the lack of cousins.

We have a much smaller carbon footprint than most 1 or 2 child families and probably lots of childless couples. We don't fly. DP doesn't drive. We live in a flat rather than a house and are low water users. We eat local to a reasonable extent. We hardly buy new clothes. We are semi-veggie.

I'm not going to be preached to buy 4 wheel driving, air miles gathering, Argentinian burger eating idiots who think they're doing the world a favour by having one spoilt brat.

[ragged]

If people around the world knew that all their children would almost certainly get thru childhood without significant harm & would grow up to be healthy, then they wouldn't need to many children to be sure of having any children. If people had good access to decent quality of life & birth control, they wouldn't have so many children.

The overpopulation problem is not because of some people in high income countries choosing to have big families. It's because of people in poor countries having no other choice.

The over-population problem is a travesty because the world is so lousy at looking after the living.

[Athenaviolet]

The whole concept of their being a global over population problem is inherently racist.

[sidonie1]

Really loving reading your viewpoints. Very interesting, thank you! I've worked in international development for years and believe we have resources enough to sustain all humans born, but distribution is the problem, creating extreme wealth or poverty.

I love the idea of nurturing children to care for the environment and fight for the rights of the poor. Are definitely leaning in that direction ????

[claraschu]

A child in the rich West causes more pollution and uses more resources by the age of 4 than someone in the developing world in his/ her whole life.

I have 3 children and, yes, I feel guilty, and know that it was a selfish choice to have them. We are vegetarian, share bath water, do minimal laundry (by Western standards), etc, but I know that these things are fairly trivial and that we are a burden on the planet.

I think anyone who doesn't admit that having kids creates a strain on the environment is not facing facts. Some people are hypocritical about it and some are naive; I choose to admit that I think it's not great but that I couldn't resist the fun of having them.

[sidonie1]

On the plus side, all thoughts of long haul flights are out of the question with four I'd imagine!

[Quintanimo]

Uk birth rate is below replacement rate (1.83 per woman) and falling.

[micromachine]

We have 3 and live in a tiny house. We don't do that much washing, we don't eat a lot and we don't own a lot. I believe us to be quite environmentally friendly.