My 3 year old has visited 32 countries AMA

[Dinoswearunderpants]

No doubt I'd get a load of shade about 'bragging' but that's not the intention. If anyone is interested in asking any questions about travelling regularly with a little own, feel free to ask.

I often travel just the two of us as his Dad can't get as much time off work as I do.

Are your trips for your benefit and you make sure he is comfortable enough OR do you think he "actually" enjoys them too.
When I travelled with a young child, I always felt they didn't enjoy it as much as us.

I Hope that every person on here who has criticised the OP over climate change has one or no children. Because otherwise the OP is living far more sustainably than you and her impact on the planet over her life will be much less than yours. Which is what matters right?

i understand trying to educate but the vitriol of some of these posters directed at the OP is horrible and some even openly state they have multiple children!!!!

amp.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/12/want-to-fight-climate-change-have-fewer-children

It's more complex though than a race to who is most righteous. You could argue that we need children, as I said ages ago above, one replacement per adult only though. Alternatively the human race could die out of no more children were born and the carbon issue resolves itself, understandably most people don't wish for that though.

No one needs to make 32 flights in 3 years, no one. That IS an excessive choice whatever you may think.

I don’t think I’ve been vitriolic. Hopefully not.

I am afraid I did have DC. I feel huge amounts of guilt when I think about what kind of world he will survive in. It was a massive dilemma for us but I’m afraid biology prevailed. I’d have loved a whole troupe but just have one.

I think if I was making the decision now I’d not - for his sake - but I don’t regret it.

There are currently enough humans on this planet that means we don’t need to replace every adult as there will always be countries where birth rates are higher, but if you’re worried about an aging Uk population then welcoming young people from other countries to come and live and work in the Uk is the better option. Plus with climate change affecting the landscape the areas safe for living/housing and the amount of food available will get smaller. So less humans is better. The human race is not going to die out through a lack of reproduction.

My point is about those aiming criticism at the OP who are actually having a far worse impact on the climate than she will. Not about being sustainable. It’s easy to say ‘oh I don’t fly’ or ‘ I drive an electric car’ but the facts are if you have more kids then the op you are worse for the climate. Even if the op flies 10 times a year. I’m trying to get people to have a look at themselves and their lives before throwing criticism around at people they don’t know online.

Oh yes I agree with all that. The next 100 years are going to be 'interesting' shall we say.

People in glass houses? Yeah. True. But no one can be carbon free. No one is perfect.

I think it’s good to talk about it given the grave nature of the situation.

I think we all need to do more - and I include myself. It’s just small step by small step.

I have to say though that 32 countries in 3 years is extreme and I’m not judging the OP, before I knew the facts, if I’d had the time and money, I’d have done the same. And depending on your SM algorithms and whether you watch/read the news (and which you choose), you would be completely forgiven for thinking ‘it will be fine, it won’t make a difference’.

I think we do have to start shining a light on these things more. We can’t rely on the media or business (no money in it) and we can’t rely on Governments (there are few votes in them giving us the worst news).

Hopefully we can do it in a kind way though. 😊

It is good to talk about the grave situation but it seems like everyone talking about the climate on this thread is going on about the amount of flight. Yet conveniently missing the fact that the OP only (and will likely only as per what she’s said) has one child. So everyone who is ‘educating’ the op about her effect on the climate and has more then one child should also come forward with a caveat that although they don’t agree with the OPs effect on climate, they themselves will have a far worse ones. Maybe then we can start a having a useful discussion about how collectively we can solve the problem, rather than pointing fingers and shouting (online) about how other people are terrible.

Personally I think giving up your chance have a child/children, which is a biological yearning, is quite different to giving up
or reducing flying on holiday. Not having a child May or may not be more carbon heavy but it’s a much greater sacrifice. They are not equivalent in my mind. Do you see them as equivalent? I do get the people in glass houses thing though.

I don’t need to see them as equivalent since one is 50 times worse than the other, so just having one less child (not no children) has a far far bigger effect then giving up flights. People have 1 less child for many reasons, finances, age, effect on already born children, their health. It’s not unusual. And I am absolutely not saying about giving up your chance of having children (I think that’s clear in my first post). I personally have more than 1 child. What I am saying is that people need to have a look at themselves and their lives before they start attacking others. I genuinely don’t understand how someone can tell someone else that they’re a terrible person for doing something that they in fact are far worse at. It doesn’t make sense to me.

And why are holidays not important? It’s all a bit depressing isn’t it.

You think his life will be so terrible he shouldn’t exist? Ok 😐

@Completelyneutralname didn’t say she doesn’t have any hols. Just that she doesn’t take a plane.

In Scandinavian countries, it’s extremely frown upon to fly for a hols like this. People use the train instead. Like I do.
You can go all over Europe like that. And the journey becomes part of the trip.

I had never looked into the carbon footprint of having a child versus flying so just did a quick search;

“According to a 2017 study, having one fewer child in the developed world can reduce a household's carbon footprint by around 58.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. This is significantly more than the carbon footprint of avoiding a single roundtrip transatlantic flight, which is around 1.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year”

It is pretty shocking!

I do still think that asking people to reduce flying on holiday versus not having a child is just a totally different ask. But you are right, having fewer children does lower your CF dramatically!

For me, reducing flights, was a very quick way to dramatically reduce our carbon spend. We already had one DC and decided to leave it at that, when we stopped flying. It was a no brainer. And it does, and will continue to, make me sad when I see carbon being spent frivolously and extravagantly when I know the impact. It just really depresses me.

I think he’s going to grow up in pretty dire circumstances, yes. I feel
awful guilt about choosing to have him. I don’t show it of course. We are doing our best to future proof things for him. I certainly wouldnt wish him away though. I adore him. And he had a lovely life. No hair shirts! We don’t dwell on this stuff. Just lightly make changes. But these are the thoughts that sometimes keep me awake at night if im Not careful.

We had a wonderful summer. Week in the U.K. and two weeks in Europe. Drove over on the shuttle which was a dream! So easy. Lots of good charging for the EV and we upgraded our car so had a longer range. Friends have done interailing through Europe with kids. That’s next. Other family trained it to Croatia and loved it. The other option is train there, fly back or vice versa if time is tight. Cuts down the carbon.

OP, seeing as this is an AMA - what is your response to the posts pointing out that "offsetting" is just a marketing tactic? Are you going to travel less as a result?

I do see them as equivalent, yes. I see them both as lifestyle choices. You see not having children as a bigger sacrifice, whereas I see not flying as a bigger sacrifice. Neither of us is right or wrong, it’s just we have different lifestyles and priorities in life and sacrificing each one would impact us differently.

Silly. She said "Ask me anything." She didn't say she would ANSWER anything. She wants "questions" about how she manages to be so wonderful and cultured, not about whether there's actually quite a lot of negative aspects to compulsively travelling all over the world all the time. Give it 15 years and we'll have "I'm 18, I was forced to waste 3000 hours of my childhood on planes and now most of the countries I visited are underwater. AIBU not to feel grateful to my narcissistic mother?"

That all sounds great but the world is much bigger than Europe. Some of us enjoy travelling to Asia, the Caribbean, South America, Australia etc. Not practical to get there by train.

I just can’t see something that is a biological urge for most people and that is really the main biological driver for existence as being a lifestyle choice. It just doesn’t ring true for me.

Yes. I Imagine it’s very enjoyable. I guess I have different values to you and I just wouldn’t enjoy them knowing what I now know. Wish I didn’t know what I know and could just be blissfully ignorant.

I know I said that we need to be kind in how we talk about it but that really made me laugh. You are very naughty!

What on earth do you think is going to happen to him?