If you can't afford children you shouldn't have them.

[MrsArchieTheInventor]

"If you can't afford children you shouldn't have them" [and] "child benefit and tax credits should be abolished" with the mantra that if she choses to be childless she should not be forced to pay for the 'breeding' choices of others.

A Facebook friend of mine. I didn't retaliate.

I would delete anyone that wrote that horseshit.

I would also delete them!!

Why though?

Why didn't you retaliate?

There are so many threads on MN by people moaning about what their friends and family are posting on Facebook and yet they never pull them up about it or even just hide their posts from the news feed.

AIBU is fast becoming an extension of FB

Ah but I agree with the "if you can't afford children you shouldnt have them line though".

delete or block at the least.

we could discuss forever the fact that peoples circumstances change and just because someone is feeling the strain finacially at the moment, doesn't mean that they always have done.

those people are weird. I'm all for people who don't want children not being oppressed by a child-obsessed society. And I'm glad that people are now free from the social expectation to have children and they feel able to make the choice for themselves. But no one has the choice to opt out of society.

Delete and who cares what other people think anyway. Yet another facebook gem!!

With these sorts of posts I tend to point out that my children (for whom I get no benefits) will be paying taxes which will support the poster when she retires, so shelling out a meager percentage of her taxes (that which actually goes on cb) now while she's working is actually paying for her benefits later in life.

Tends to shut them up :)

Regarding the 'why should she pay for them' thought, remind her that those of us who have children have essentially provided our own future care system. When it comes to sitting in my chair having my dribble wiped up, I shall demand (if I remember) to have use of the cloth before those who didnt.

Who does she think is going to look after her when she's old? She'll be happyt enough to rely on other peoples breeding choices then

who can't afford children? i saw some being offered out on loan here just yesterday

She's talking crap about the tax credits and cb thing, but she's right that people shouldn't have children if they can't afford them. It is one thing to have children when you can afford them and then need to use the safety net that the benefits system is supposed to be, it is another thing altogether to have children knowing that you are going to be heavily dependant on the state.

YABU because you have not asked an "Am I Being Unreasonable?" question.

I think Facebook threads about inflammatory statements are fast replacing the old "AIBU to think my FIL is racist?" threads.

You know the type where you open them and it's a total no brainer....of course the OP isn't being unreasonable and of course the FIL is Alf Garnet in disguise.

But they get to post an inflammatory statement 'blamelessly'...on a thread that reaches 500+ posts with muchos bun throwing

Clearly this one will kick off too....

AIBU is fast becoming an extension of FB

As opposed to an extension of the Daily Mail :)

I do agree with not having kids if you can't afford them btw, and that there is too much subsidy going on, so taxpayers are having to afford other people having too many kids instead of having them themselves.

IMO finances are an extremely important issue to consider when planning to have children. I don't think you should go into it if you can't afford the very least. I accept that circumstances change and therefore don't agree that benefits should be abolished, that's ludicruos. But, I don't agree with some people expecting benefits to fund them entirely, they have to be part responsible for finances. It's only fair.

2 posters who agree with that sentiment already.

Yeah, cause accidents never happen eh?

Now we're up to 3.

As opposed to an extension of the Daily Mail

Ahh yes that too...the paper no-one claims to actually read

She's usually rational and normal. To paint a background picture, the friend is a former colleague, a single woman of usually very intelligent thought (police intelligence analyst with a degree from Oxford) who lives on her own albeit with two cats. She posts pictures of her cats in a similar way that I do of DCs, but moreso. She occasionally rants at people who post photos of their children whilst not realising exactly the same could be said of her and her damn cats. She's normally rational and deep thinking and I'm reluctant to block her as she's been voice of reason in the past, but this rant is a bit odd and slightly personal.

Accidents happen, both my children were surprises. The benefit system should be there to help when accidents happen, but that's not the same as making a conscious descison to TTC when you can't afford it. There's no way to tell the difference, which is why i think people who conceive while on benefits should only be limited to help for the first child. Harsh, but it might make people think more about their choices. We get free contraception in this country.

I have seen this comment being banded about so much. I am full of admiration for the family who decides they won't have any more children because they may be jeopardising the security of their family finances, they are better than me. I don't think the same can be expected from every family. People have different reasons for wanting to have children, and a lot of parents who raise children on benefits still feel that they are making a contribution to society. Is this fb friend the same person who comes out with all the "we shouldn't send food to Africa, we should send condoms" comments too?

2 posters who agree with that sentiment already.

Well, not agreeing with it implies that you believe that you should have children even if you can't afford them, ie you believe others should support them.

Or am I misunderstanding something here?

Or in my case, just be a bit poorer.