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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to be irritated by Prince Harry's attitude to third and subsequent children?

228 replies

Irishgurl · 21/08/2019 18:29

So my youngest DC is 12. Incredibly aware of environmental issues and is beginning to think of a career in Marine Biology. Already follows environmental blogs, has joined school focus groups for this and keeps our family in check on our environmental responsibility. And is very sad to have read Prince Harry's comments on third children being something that is damaging to the planet. I do find it rather frustrating that I have had to discuss this with a child. The planet is being damaged and no one can deny it. But it is really naive to point the finger of blame on third and subsequent children in a family. It doesn't matter to me how many children you have as long as you bring them up to add something to society rather than take away ( and this includes the environment). The more children the better , as long as they are contributing and making the world a better place? I think he should apologize to all third children ( and 4th and 5th). And that includes his Mother, Prince Louis, my lovely 12 year old and many more fantastic human beings who really don't deserve to be told that they are bad for the planet!

OP posts:

MsTSwift · 21/08/2019 19:25

He is right though however much it pisses you off. Like I wish air travel wasn’t so bad for the environment as we love to travel. But it is.

timshelthechoice · 21/08/2019 19:26

Better off teaching him that Harry's a total divvy and a puppet and virtue-signalling hypocrite.

bobcat85 · 21/08/2019 19:27

It doesn't matter to me how many children you have as long as you bring them up to add something to society rather than take away ( and this includes the environment). The more children the better , as long as they are contributing and making the world a better place?

This is the most short-sighted and bizarre thing I've read in a while. Everyone, no matter how environmental friendly they are, will have a carbon footprint.

What if your third child goes onto have three children, then each of them has three children etc. That's several descendants that will have a further impact on the world because of just one person (well, two people, but you see what I mean).

OooErMissus · 21/08/2019 19:27

Apologise to all the third children. I've heard it all now.

Again - he's not criticising your child (who had no say in the matter).

He's criticising you.

tigger001 · 21/08/2019 19:30

I couldn't see where he said having 2 was too many, because of the impact environmentally. I just took it that more than 2 was in his opinion too many for them.

Because surely on this basis he would only have 1 child, as 2 is too many, as it's more than 1.

But I don't really think he should be preaching to anyone really, he needs to walk the walk before people actually take him seriously.

Jellybeansincognito · 21/08/2019 19:30

Why are you offended by it? It’s a valid opinion, if there was no basis to it at all you’d simply ignore it.

It’s not good to have multiple children, for many reasons. Just because you love yours, it doesn’t make it right.

RedPanda2 · 21/08/2019 19:31

You are taking this very personally. No, children are not a gift for everybody.
Having children is the worst thing you can do for the environment, it doesn't matter how 'woke' your 12 year old is

mumwon · 21/08/2019 19:31

megan is a mature mum (nothing wrong with that!) & lets be honest she is probably only likely to fit one more child in anyway - (sweeping generalisation I know!) & considering their airmiles & other non pc environmental aspects of their lives - it does seem a bit rich.

lljkk · 21/08/2019 19:32

PH is entitled to have own opinions. I don't mind.

TumblingTumbleWeeds · 21/08/2019 19:32

He needs to take his message of only having two children to countries were it is normal/tradition to have huge families. I'm thinking of African countries and India. They will tell him to take a hike!

It's his talk about carbon footprints and then flying around in private jets that annoys me.

serenoa · 21/08/2019 19:33

Twerp. We need more taxpayers, lots of them. If we can't manage that we're going to have to cut down on what we spend on useless things like a royal family.

They can keep a few of the excess houses they own provided they pay their share of taxes on them, but we want the land back. It never was theirs or their ancestors', it was stolen from the ordinary people who used it in common.

Profits made from land stolen from commonholders are profits of criminality no matter how many centuries ago. That land, many millions of acres, should be put to use to benefit everyone.

UnderHisEyeBall · 21/08/2019 19:34

The birth rate is dropping globally. Even with people having gasp three children.

grumiosmum · 21/08/2019 19:35

YABU.

It is not uncommon for people of my DC's generation to be considering limiting the size of their families, some to only 1 child, because of the environmental cost.

It's a very real thing, and there is nothing wrong with Prince Harry bringing attention to it.

Just as our parents generation didn't know that smoking was bad for you, our generation wasn't aware of the damage large families would do to the environment - our kids don't blame us for that, but they can think differently about the issues,

keepingbees · 21/08/2019 19:35

If Harry was so concerned he didn't have to reproduce at all.
As usual they are just hypocrites who like the sound of their own voices. They are laughable and nothing they say holds any weight. Don't be offended and take no notice.

lottelupin · 21/08/2019 19:36

He's a puppet.
He says what he's told to say.
Blame someone higher up for his comments.

Who knows who's influencing what he says, but it does seem odd to make such an ostentatiously public statement about a private choice. It feels naive more than anything else, but I do feel quite sad that he was prompted to tell everybody about it. I don't think he would have done that pre-marriage.

Of course it's also controversial and divisive. That's the darker side of whoever or whatever is suggesting that he should 'speak out', and making him feel it's the right thing to do. It was a 'we' statement.

I think that's the unsettling thing. I think we all kind of liked Prince Harry. We don't want him disappearing as an individual.

slipperywhensparticus · 21/08/2019 19:39

Mass suicide and murder are not going to save the human race just the planet we currently live on

TellItLikeItReallyIs · 21/08/2019 19:41

It doesn't matter to me how many children you have as long as you bring them up to add something to society rather than take away ( and this includes the environment)

This is obvious rubbish.

I think Harry is right and I do judge people who have more than two children - one to replace each parent is the socially responsible thing to do.

They irony is that the people with about 4 or 5+ children are 9/10 really the ones whose DNA and genetic profile the world really wouldn't miss.

There is a reason that large families have unfortunate (and admittedly sometimes) bigoted associations.

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 21/08/2019 19:44

Every child is a gift.

Who from?

I thought you had unprotected sex and then had a baby.

And he’s right.

timshelthechoice · 21/08/2019 19:47

If he truly cared about the planet he'd not have reproduced at all.

NeelixFelicis · 21/08/2019 19:48

They irony is that the people with about 4 or 5+ children are 9/10 really the ones whose DNA and genetic profile the world really wouldn't miss

I want to argue with that, but really can't. It does seem that those who really shouldn't reproduce, seem to be the ones who breed most prolifically.

CedarTreeLeaf · 21/08/2019 19:48

I do judge people who have more than two children

There is a reason that large families have unfortunate (and admittedly sometimes) bigoted associations.

Cognitive dissonance.

They irony is that the people with about 4 or 5+ children are 9/10 really the ones whose DNA and genetic profile the world really wouldn't miss.

I could say the same for environmental activists who patronise the plebs on Monday and take off in their private jets on Tuesday...

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 21/08/2019 19:49

But it is really naive to point the finger of blame on third and subsequent children in a family.

No one blames the children themselves, it’s their parents who had them. You are barking up the wrong tree.

MustardScreams · 21/08/2019 19:50

I never understood the need to have 4/5/6 children anyway, before it became a way of beating parents by being sanctimonious about having only 1 child.

Because as much as people wish, you cannot spread yourself thin enough to make sure every child gets all the attention they need. Things will slip through the cracks, no matter how hard you try. I do think it’s very selfish of parents to keep having babies to satisfy their own desires without considering the children they already have.

CalmAndQuiet · 21/08/2019 19:53

not sure he is the right person to preech about environmental issues. Maybe he could consider reducing his environmental impact by taking less private flights and leading a less extravagant lifestyle.

NotBeingRobbed · 21/08/2019 19:53

Why two? Why not just one? Instantly halve the number of humans. Or maybe none of you have an extremely large personal carbon footprint.

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