Did you/do you fear bringing children into this world?

JamSandle · 2023-01-17T19:42:41+00:00

YABU - The world has never been an easy place to bring children into. YANBU - There are things specific to the modern day that make me afraid of bringing children into this world.

CustardGoodJamGoodMeatGood · 17/01/2023 19:51

Yes I fear for my DC. They're currently 3yo and 9mo and I can't imagine what things will be like when they are my age, with the rise in knife/gun crimes, the state of the economy. Everything about this day and age worries me for the sake of my kids, the lack of respect kids show nowadays, how easy it is for children to be involved in bullying and it can literally follow you everywhere with the use of social media, phones etc (not like when kids used to be bullied at school and then escape it at home). I imagine buying a house will be much harder for them than it is now and if COL carries on like it is now, it'll be hard for them to even afford to live

EconomyClassRockstar · 17/01/2023 19:56

I cried watching 9/11 holding my newborn wondering what the heck kind of world I'd brought him into so that's definitely not a new feeling. I don't think there's anything particularly new that makes nowadays any different.

whirlyhead · 17/01/2023 20:00

Yes, so I didn’t have any. But that was a decision made 20 years ago and things seemed bad then. Now they seem even worse.

Devoutspoken · 17/01/2023 20:02

No, there are lots of amazing things in this world, I wouldn't vote either option

AuuYSC · 17/01/2023 20:02

Yes 100% but I'm trying to raise good humans and hopefully if people have the same idea then the future may be better for them - I know that's optimistic and probably unrealistic but you never know.

Avidnamechange · 17/01/2023 20:04

Yes but because of climate change.

Other things may or may not affect them (crime, money etc). But climate change DEFINITELY will.

blubberball · 17/01/2023 20:06

It's never been perfect and has always been pretty shit. We've always had plagues, poxes, disease, poverty, war, famine etc in the world. In more recent decades we have had the threat of nuclear apocalypse, terrorism and climate change. There's sadly never been a perfect world good enough to bring our babies into.

CalistoNoSolo · 17/01/2023 20:08

I only have one, late teens. If life in the early 00's had been anything like life now (and future prospects) I wouldn't have had her.

4thonthe4th · 17/01/2023 20:09

blubberball · 17/01/2023 20:06

It's never been perfect and has always been pretty shit. We've always had plagues, poxes, disease, poverty, war, famine etc in the world. In more recent decades we have had the threat of nuclear apocalypse, terrorism and climate change. There's sadly never been a perfect world good enough to bring our babies into.

This.

Echobelly · 17/01/2023 20:12

I wasn't worried about bringing kids into the world, but I'm not sure I'd urge my kids to have kids unless they really want to. I do feel like I've been fortunate to live half my life in a time of unprecendented peace and stability - but I think that may be over sadly.

That said, my parents' best friends debated whether they should bring kids into the world in the 1970s when it was so certain there'd be nuclear war imminently - and the dad is a very rational, logical scientist and not anxious at all. They did have kids!

ChocolateChoux · 17/01/2023 20:33

Yes, I do genuinely worry about it. We are currently preparing for our first child and I'm scared that I'm bringing them into a harsh world. I worry about climate change, cost of living, war, worsening living conditions, political unrest, mental health care for children. Maybe I was naive before but Covid has made it clear to me just how quickly the world can change. It makes me realise that I'm bringing a child into an utterly unpredictable situation and I have no way of controlling it.

JoonT · 17/01/2023 20:44

Yes. I can see two things combining in the next 40 years to cause utter chaos. The first is climate change, the second is overpopulation. The world’s population has spiralled out of control in the last 100 years. In 1900 there were a billion people. By 1960 that had trebled. Then it doubled again. Between 1900 and 2000 the world’s population went from one billion to six billion. It’s now eight billion and rising. At the same time, we’ve got declining fish stocks, declining natural resources, and an increasingly unstable climate. Put the two together and you’ve got problems.

I know somebody will reply that the birth rate is dropping, but that’s not true everywhere. In sub-Saharan Africa women still have an average of five to six children, and the African population is going to double by 2050. Also, scientists are working on ways to slow down ageing and extend the lifespan. Pretty soon we’ll have senolytic drugs, along with other technologies, that will push the lifespan to 120 and beyond. In other words, people won’t be dying and making room.

Snugglemonkey · 17/01/2023 21:23

No. There is always shite happening in the world. Always has been, always will be. There is also beauty and wonder and magic. There are so many things that it is thrilling to share with my children and introduce them to. Focussing on that is makes for much happier thoughts.

SmileWithADimple · 17/01/2023 21:31

YANBU - there have always been bad things happening, but climate change does feel different (worse) because it's irreversible.

AliasGrape · 17/01/2023 21:36

Yes I worried about it.
It’s one of the things that makes me more at peace with the fact we will only have one. Although that makes me worry more for her!

Regardless, she’s here and I only hope I can raise her to be resilient, resourceful and compassionate. And show her all the beauty and wonder that is still ever present.