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

[Irishgurl]

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!

And for those people who ate desperately concerned about us not producing enough babies in the future...good! At last we might get back on track.

So basically, the media and 90% of posters here are ranting about something entirely made up, and which he didn't say.

Seriously, I couldn't care less about the royal family, but I'm starting to have great sympathy for them. Two words spun into something completely different to kick him for.

I can’t stand the royals but Harry has said absolutely nothing wrong. Strange that your child should be offended that Harry only wants two kids to be honest. Very precious of you.

Apparently teaching kids resilience is a thing now. You might want to look into it OP, lest they continue to think every little thing is about them personally. Demanding an apology to all third children indeed 🙄

YABU

In rural Ireland, it’s still not uncommon to have 5 or more children in some families.
Why do you think/ how do you know this? Do you know one or two families with 5 in them? 'Not uncommon' would insinuate it's the norm and I could be wrong but don't hear about families with over 4 in them very often!

And it is surely quality of life rather than quantity that counts. 1 individual person can damage the planet far more than 10 people who make it their life mission to protect the earth.

One individual might be the person who saves the environmental crisis through invention. I’m in the meantime though, every person is a drain on resources. As another PP said, you can’t reduce your footprint to less than 1.

Someone else mentioned that you can wear hand me downs etc do a third isn’t such a big drain. Anyone can buy solely from charity shops which are a form of hand me downs.

Third children, I assume, will still eat. No matter what you choose, you will still use significant resources in this. Even a vegan, organic, low mileage diet will require buying products grown and shipped some distance, with fields devoted to those specific crops reducing bio diversity. There’s no way to reduce your own impact to zero.

This was a sizeable part of the decision DH and I made to only have one child. Not so much the carbon footprint which wasn't as widely discussed 15-16 years ago, but the need to start reducing population size. There's so many families with 3, 4, 5+ children, we need a lot of 1 or 0 children families to even it out.

@NeelixFelicis @TellItLikeItReallyIs

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.

I had to read your comments a couple of times (mind you, I'm from a family of 4 myself, perhaps that's why? My potentially inferior intellect 🙄)

Your comments are shocking: completely ignorant, in all meanings of the word, lacking any evidence and downright nasty.

Whatever about the wider (possibly valid) point under discussion, these are gratuitously insulting comments that have no basis and add nothing to the conversation.

Many people, from varied life circumstances and backgrounds, choose to have larger families. What on earth entitles you to pronounce, sweepingly, about who should it should not be allowed to reproduce?

His words were twisted but in any case I do believe having more than 2 kids (excluding twins) in the West where we have access to birth control, have low child mortality, aren’t deeply religious and have social security so don’t need kids to look after us when we’re old, work on our farms etc is selfish.

I’ve also noticed that many of those middle class people with 3+ kids act like they’re doing the world a massive favour by reproducing so many of their genes. You can almost see the thinking ‘of course Hugo/Phillipa/Oliver/Saskia will go on to be high achievers so we’re not the problem’.

Overpopulation concerns only apply to the poor apparently but poor people have a much lower carbon footprint than the rich. Hugo will end up having a bigger footprint than an entire rural Indian village with his house, flights, car, gadgets and his own 4 kids no matter how much recycling you do now.

This thread is hilair.

Has the OP come back?

I really hope everyone opens their eyes to all the deceptions within the RF, Harry in particular. I have zero respect for them.

The more children the better , as long as they are contributing and making the world a better place?

No.

I think he should apologize to all third children ( and 4th and 5th).

😂😂😂😂😂

But its time people like OP give up the idea that their little darlings are so smart and wonderful they are going to grow up and save the planet. They won't. They are just another faceless hungry mouth among billions

But ... but ... he might be a marine biologist. And he reads blogs.

Rain your circumstances are irrelevant because it’s a second/third whatever marriage/relationship it’s different we could all have more relationships with people we want to have children with there will always be circumstances where people will justify having a larger family

The discussion is should we seriously be thinking, discussing and debating about thinking how many children we have and the impact having children has

It’s not going to stop everyone having larger families but future generations will I believe be thinking more about the impact of having larger families and that absolutely has to happen

Irs not about controlling women and forcing abortions, it’s not about tax credits etc it’s the fact the worlds population has over doubled in 50 years and it’s us needing food/water and how we live and our consumerism that is destroying the planet we have to all think about this and make choices

Children don't have to be 'a drain on resources' if they make educated choices in life

Your kid will be choosing to do a weekly shop where food is flown in all over the world, (likely) drive home to his central heated house and spend his evenings with the TV/Laptop on. Recycling doesn’t offset the damage living in the West does at all. Also he’ll very likely have kids of his own?

I don’t drive, haven’t flown abroad in years, have no children, recycle and I know me just living a western lifestyle with consumerism and electricity is doing damage.

He had a go at families who have 3+ children then jetted off in a private jet with his wife and baby a few days later. I wouldn’t lose sleep over his remarks.

I hope Meghan has twins next time.

Haha..myDC&i would wholeheatedly agree with Harry..of courseANY extra human life is a drain on the planet-especially meat eaters/pet owners-there simply wont be these luxuries of choice 20yrs down the track..look at the state of Britain FFS..its a toilet compared to when i grew up there..austerity&NHS-rampant povery/housing shortages&food banks.You're pretty niave to think the answer lies in well-raised concious parenting.

I am a third child, who desperately wanted a third (but couldn’t) and I agree with Harry.

I don’t agree with everything H&M do, but think it’s actually a commendable stance to take. There are so many slebs having multiple (and more) children these days. And this has an influence on others.

Flying on a private jet doesn’t stop him from being right either. Esp as Elton offsetted the carbon

And is very sad to have read Prince Harry's comments on third children being something that is damaging to the planet

Tell her not to feel upset about being a third because ALL children are damaging to the planet. First ones, second ones, third ones etc!

If Prince Harry was genuinely serious about the environment he wouldn’t have had any!!!

He's turning into a right pain in the arse.

As are all the other sanctimonious gits who point hypocritical fingers.

^ this. And I use to really like him.

My third child has to get a fucking job, and spends a decent amount of time and mental effort on minimising her impact on the environment. I bet she has a lot less of an impact on the rest of us that Prince Harry.

For that matter, I'm glad she hasn't got MH issues, so I don't have to worry about a press that gives this feckless, idle private jet wanker the right to broadcast to everyone that she is a burden on the world and the rest of humanity that shouldn't exist.

I bet that was nice to hear for some people.

Why are we taking life lessons and environmental advice from a one man army of petroleum consumption who would struggle to catch a bus again? I did wonder this about the father to be honest.

Attacking the messenger doesn’t alter the fact that he is right. And the fact people are getting so angry is because deep down they know he is right too. As a species there are too many of us whichever way to try to cut it.

There are too many of you. There are not enough of us.

Fortunately it seems that problem will self-correct.

In case it's not clear, there is totally a spirit of levity to my posts and I'm just joshing. I just realised that because I cba with emphasis, emojis etc it all looks a bit deadpan and dark, sorry 😂