to be amazed at how many people are still having 4 or more children?

[JackShit]

Yikes! I'm going to get a new one ripped here, but this has been bugging me of late.

Our planet isn't in a particularly marvelous state. Overpopulation is a very real problem. We are responsible for the legacy we leave our children and surely part of loving them is to be concerned for their future quality of life on this planet.

I know there are a lot of people with larger families on MN and I need to understand why, in full knowledge of the facts, people continue to have so many children? Just read a thread on facebook where a woman was proudly stating she has 11! 11 ffs!

I don't go for the argument about some having only one or two so it cancels out and I also don't believe in replacing our ageing population problem with an even bigger one.

So what am I missing here? Do people just not really give a shit? Does biology take over?

I have 1 btw.

Zing people decide for themselves, clearly. And there's not a lot I can do about the fact that for many people the decision is "longhaul holiday now" rather than "non-extreme weather later".

but the more children you have the less likely you will be going on expensive holidays, regularly.

x-post Dixie

Is the OP Jonathan Porrit?

and as for carbon foot print we have 2 cars and DH's moped. for 9 people

loads and loads of friends of ours have 2 cars - with 1, 2 or 3 children.
let them get rid of their 2nd car.
or wait. none of our business why people have 2 cars (or more!) /family

so back off about judging how many children people have and why.

Plenty of people (with big families or small) fly all the time. Short haul, long haul, whatever.

exactly Dixie

Archery

again, really none of your business why they do that. nobody owes you or anyone an explanation as to why they fly or do anything else really.

It is my business, Zing, as it affects me directly. I have no power to enforce anything but I have every right to discuss it.

As long as you can afford them (and by you I mean your own money, not by cavitation how much more CO, WTF, CTC etc you can claim....) then go for it. Worrying about a family's carbon footprint print when you have countries like USA, Russia, the Middle East and Asia not giving a shit about pollution etc, is like pissing in the wind.

cavitation?! That's meant to read calculating....

CO - CB. WTF - WTC. Seriously mumsnet, get a bloody edit function!

I managed 1 and that was it and I didn't even push him out I had C-Section...I never experience pain like that even when I had infected tooth.

But I could say the same about people who rely on benefits or tax credits or even child benefit. I could say that by having children they were selfish and irresponsible and it really shouldn't be allowed. That they should all go what I did and wait until 38, put their fertility at risk and save furiously for 15yrs after university to ensure financial stability before daring to have children. But you know what? I don't. Because
A) the whole point if taxes and benefits and stuff is to narrow the gap and help those less fortunate or lucky than me to survive and live in dignity.
B) honestly? Having children is the single most fundamentally amazing thing I have done in life. I have a good professional career which I enjoy but having children? Raising those children? Gosh, it's bloody amazing and I am blessed to be doing it 4 times around.

So I'll do my bit by recycling and flying less and taking a good look at our overall consumption but you'll never get me to even empathise with the idea that I should have stopped at 2 to save the planet. Especially when I believe we're very likely to kill each other off before we kill the Earth.

MrsD

I sent you a PM

Actually all those condoms people use to avoid having kids can not be good for the planet either.
so down with condoms

and stop taking the pill too, it gets into the water system and damages the environment.

tsk tsk

Zing, how exactly are you advancing the discussion with this kind of juvenile stuff?

Oh Zing having a gsoh is banned on serious discussion, don't cha know.

you are so judgemental. and wrong. and a hypocrite

pollution from medicines screwing up the water eco-systems and landfills full of non-biodegradable items are actually quite big issues.
is that news to you?

check your dictionary. "juvenile" and "sarcastic" are not synonymous

sosix

mea culpa, mea maxima culpa

is using Latin ok? [worried]

MrsDeVere where on EARTH do you get the idea that I think it makes me better than anyone else? I simply said it was a factor in MY choices.

You seem extremely defensive, I wonder why.

worka

you seem quite PA. I wonder why