The Business of Treating Pets like Children - Millennials Decoded 

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Having kids has become a luxury, and I think as a species... this is utterly sad.

Another factor is higher demands for putting work into raising children-- it used to be completely accepted to leave children alone for moderate periods, both indoors and out of doors. Now, there's a risk of losing custody if the child is left alone at all.

what if this is an evolutionary strategy by dogs (evolved and domesticated wolves) to become more and more human friendly and cuter, to be more and more adopted by humans in lieu of having kids, and thus become the dominant species on the planet in the far future :)

Yeah, it's really stupid and offensive to tell people they're selfish for not wanting kids. Like, "Are YOU going to pay for them?" "Are YOU going to get up with them at 3am?" "Are YOU going to work another job and give up all your hobbies?" Maybe let people decide for themselves how they want to spend their money, time, and energy.

I'm a millennial, was raised in a single parent household, we worried about food, we were in shelters at times. Now I'm paying for my own schooling years later working full time ... and me not having a child is somehow selfish? To whom?

I'd love to have kids, but I can barely afford housing, healthcare and other essentials. Unless something is done about the absurd cost of living problem we are facing , I like many other Millennials will pass on having children. I've seen my parents go from surviving off one factory job in the 90s to both my parents working 2 jobs just to keep themselves from losing their home. My friends tell me similar stories and those in charge of this country couldn't care less about our declining standard of living and quality of life.

I have cat and it only cost me around

As someone without kids or pets, this whole conversation is wild

I’m not dropping near poverty class over a kid who is just gonna be living a miserable life because of their financial situation, tired emotionally drained + overstressed parents

There is another acronym: DINKWAD: Double Income No Kids, With A Dog

I forgot where I heard this but "Children are the new business, pets are the new children, and plants are the new pets" No wife = no kids No apartment that allows pets = no dog Just me and my plants drinking water and sunbathing

In my case, I only ever imagined myself having 1 child until I was diagnosed with a chronic and hereditary autoimmune disorder at 24. Oh, and then the world economy went straight into the septic tank in 2008 and stayed there during my Prime Earning Years. All of that plus the high chance that I'd be raising a child as an ill single mother helped put the idea of "mother of a human" in the back of the storage closet. So...Human Servant of Cats it is. 🤷🏾‍♀

I’ve heard way too much baby daddy “drama” to even want kids 😬 if I want to build a family, I’ll either adopt a dog and/or have an army of chickens.

I'm not afraid to admit my selfishness. The mere thought of the pain of childbirth was enough to put me off from a young age. Plus my mom's go-to phrase of "when you have kids" always made me want to prove her wrong.

Also it became more socially acceptable for people like me to openly state that we simply never felt like having children. There's no reason behind it, just instinct. And not everyone's instinct is the same. I feel existentially fulfilled when I care for others. That's what I do every day in my personal life and at work. And I like children. Yet I simply never wanted them and there are many other people like me who can finally live our lives with choice and dignity.

Being told you're selfish by choosing not to have children, by a man who chose not to have children.. 😅

I’m a millennial and I don’t mean to sound like a boomer but I honestly feel sorry for kids being born today in a social media world. Its honestly kinda scary the direction we are headed and wouldn’t want to bring a child into this mess.

We have 3 kids in our home and it’s rough (there are rewards though, but it’s constant work). Even if you can afford economically, you still need to foster healthy relationships with your kids which is a huge investment in time and energy

Im a married 26 year old woman (Making me the oldest Gen Z) and we are not ever planning to have kids. Simple enough. We are both working full time but the money we make in a month is barely enough to cover our total expenses including our rent. There’s no way we can afford another human and save money for their college. Having kids is luxury for our generation.

Give the 20-40 year demographic more money and a four day work week and maybe we'll consider having more kids.

It's a no brainer. Also, many people were not loved and valued by their own parents due to economic pressures

Yep. I'm a 23 yr old women and although i wanted kids i cannot. I planned to start trying in a year. I cannot use any form of hormonal birth control, no iud's especially not the copper one, was denied by 6 docts to be sterilized. A baby would be financially and emotionally DEVASTATING. My rent went up $500, electric went up $200, and groceries $200. I got a 5 cent raise and dont dare complain because this is the only available job for me. My boyfriend of 6 years planned on proposing this year, i begged him not to spend anything on it because the situation is so dire. It just feels hopeless.

Parents: You have no idea how HARD it is to raise you!! Kid: Remembers this as an adult and doesn’t have kids. Parents: *Surprised Pikachu Face* Edit: Holy crap I’ve started a war! Thanks for 1k likes.

How can people justify having kids if corporations are normalizing 50-60 hour workweeks? Nowadays it feels like if you’re only working 40 hours a week you’re barely getting by. Most people I know gotta work overtime or have a second job to pay rent and food.

I feel like people are realizing all the moral implications of child birth and it’s not like most can afford to adopt. People are scared of bringing kids into this world.

As a millennial, I kind wish I could go for having at least one children. Me and my husband often talk about it, but reality is, at the rate this is going work is so time consuming and money gets so tight as it is... not to mention both of us struggle with anxiety/depression issues and would not feel confortable to bring a child into this environment. If it would be a bad experience for us and for the child, we both feel like it's the responsible choice to not have one and stick with our beloved pets. If that is selfish, that's Ok. I can live with this judgement.

Human relations have become so bad, I don't blame people not wanting another human in the mix even though they're their own. We don't live in a system that fosters good intimacy and thrust on all level of life. And kids are a luxury now, so you need resources to have them.

As someone who cant afford pets, let alone children: Id rather people take excellent care of their pets that they adore, than to neglect or abuse kids they dont want.

Yeeeaahhh, most pet owners are not doing dog yoga or painting their dogs nails, though. For most, spoiling their dog is taking them hiking or buying them some yummy treats on occasion.

I’ve never understood the claim that not having kids is selfish. Selfishness is putting your WANTS over someone else’s NEEDS. So whose needs am I neglecting by not having kids? No one’s, and that’s the point. You can’t be selfish if you’re not hurting someone else, it’s a total red herring. I personally believe every kid that’s born should be (and FEEL) wanted. I’ve never wanted them. It would be cruel to raise a child I never wanted, no?

I’ve seen quite a few job listings recently with “pet insurance” listed as one of the perks. Now I know why…

Well the thing is living in the "developed" world is something crazy, sure you have all this money and can go buy Gucci toilet paper if you'd like, but the issue always is can you? Kids are super expensive and trust me I was an expensive kid with my parents putting me in day camp or putting me in sports activities, yet we as Americans for example want to to get rid of welfare benefits and expect more people to have kids when they can't afford life for themselves. The only way you're gonna get more people to have kids is by lending them a hand, cause everyone wants their kids to live a better life or equivalent to theirs, not just barely enough to eat.

Daycare starts at $800 a month, sometimes is difficult to pay with 2 adults working full time jobs.

My parents bought a big family house in the outskirts of a major city for 50K in 2001, now that same house is valued over 500K. I'm making around double what my father did at this age but this does not scale at all. Like... how should I even think about having kids in this situation. The world just got waaaaay too expensive, so having children and a family is no longer the default, 20 years ago I may have said something different but right now, no way.

Opinions of a childless man: A child is a huge investment mentally, physically, and financially. And if you want your kid to grow into a functioning, healthy adult, you basically gotta be on top of your game 100% of the time as a provider AND role model. Despite that, they still might drain your bank and hate you when they're older. Also you (usually) need a partner to create and care for a child. I'm 31 and me and my wife are barely starting to try for one, having planned and saved for a couple years now. Meanwhile, 23 year old me got a kitty the second I moved out of my mom's house. He's a lot cheaper, doesn't require as much attention or dedication, nor did I need a partner to help create/care for him, and he'll never argue with or hate me. So yeah, it's pretty obvious to me why people have more pets than kids, it's just way easier overall, even if you WANT kids like I do. Do I even need to hit play on this video?

Let me be selfish if it means having my peace of mind. Student loans, cost of living, healthcare ect...like let people choose happiness where they can, lol

This is a great video. As a millennial, not having kids is a default because it’s way too expensive to have kids, especially with cost of living increases and having to work more and I don’t want to bring a kid into this messy world or pass down intergenerational traumas that exist within the family. It would be selfish to have kids today.

Our communities aren't built to raise kids anymore. I've moved across the country at times for work, and even now I'm an hour away from my closest relatives who are elderly and can't offer support, and 6 hours away from my brother and his family. I have moved often enough that I have no close friends for a support network for myself, let alone kids.

I don't care about the demographic trends. I am not obligated to please my elders or fix the great replacement. Pets will always be more fulfilling than children, the data is in. You only live once, try to be happy and don't impose it on anyone else!

I'm a Millennial and my reason for not having kids...I just don't want to. I don't have a single specific reason, I have multiple. Other than the collage and student loans, I would use every single one of the reasons @6:11 for why. I'm also just not interested in having a family just like some people don't like traveling. It's just not what I want. I don't know why in 2023 we still have the 1950's stigma that if you don't have 2 kids a spouse and a house in the suburbs you're a looser.

This video completely ignores 'unintentional childlessness' which is the most pertinent reason for this shift 🧐

1:48 For those who don't know, that clip is a commerical for condoms. A dad and his brat are in the supermarket and the kid has a temper tantrum about not getting candy and starts throwing things. The dad looks exasperated then it cuts to the condom brand. All my cats are rescue and show me their gratitude every day.

This is 100% me. I’m a millennial, childfree and LOVE animals and am so devoted to them. I love my life. Almost none of my friends have kids either, they are between their late 20’s to early 40’s, most in their mid 30’s. We care about life quality, not quantity. But for both animals and children: if you get them, which is a choice, you TAKE CARE of them. If you are not willing to do that, don’t get them.

I just watched a news story where a public school just made clar backpacks mandatory for all students and set up metal detectors at the entrance. My natural thought was "glad im not in school anymore". I couldn't magine haveing to raise a kid in a culture like this.

I dont see my dogs as kids, but Ive seen what it takes to raise a kid and honestly I don't feel like making those sacrifices for zero benefits to me, financial or otherwise.

Being psichologicaly abused by my parents for my entire life while living in the poor country of Serbia (in my childhood we had wars, sanctions, hiperinflations, etc) all I want is peace. I am 36 and still strugleing to make my life a normal life, where I can afford to buy food, cosmerics, go to holiday, get medical care, spend on entertainment, pets. I dont think that I am selfish for wanting a regular life. And if I would have a child, I would not have enough money nor for the child, nor for anything else.

Hard to find a partner whom you would want to raise kids with.

I have 1 child. Five years after he moved out of the house, I got a dog. I love her very much, but she does cost $$$ and time. We don't buy a lot of fancy foods and toys, but we do spend a lot of money on training, dog sports, and associated membership fees, and many hours of running training sessions to reinforce this training. She is also required to accompany me on my personal physical training sessions. The point is, even if you still treat your pet as a working pet and not a child, a well-raised animal takes a lot of time and money. And God forbid if you have to take your dog to the vet because it ran into a moose or a porcupine that wandered into your yard. Thousands of dollars up front. Just get the pet insurance if you can. So let people decide if they want a pet or if they want a child, or if they want it all at the same time.

Most people don't dress their pets in clothes and have insurance for them lol. Most of us just have random pets that we occasionally take to the vet.

I plan to have pets for the rest of my life, but kids will depend on my hypothetical partner. I'm a lesbian and autistic and there have always been ways for people like me to contribute to raising the next generation without reproducing. You can be involved in teaching, childcare, and community groups. Kids need more than just their parents for their development, and if you like kids but can't have them you can still find a way to help them grow.

i want to have kids, but im neurodivergent and can't find a partner who will deal with my personality quirks. i think its ok; nobody has to deal with my issues, and I don't expect them too. i have come to a place of acceptance and am happy to become a crazy cat/plant lady. its is also good I have no kids, because it wont cost much to live where I live. the prices in my community arent astronomical and I can live ok on a retail income.

ADVICE TO PEOPLE: Do not consume marketing campaigns and do something which you would not have done normally. Stop, think, delay, and they if seems necessary, only then SPEND.

How can you hate cats?! They're such sweeties

Considering the costs across the board, and what the future holds for us, having a kid seems rather insane these days.

I’d _much_ rather have a pet than a child. It’s bad enough when you get a pet and it “doesn’t work out.” But pets get re-homed/fostered, they’re happier and the old owner visits and it’s great for everyone… But the same scenario w/ an actual human child yields much less savory results and the current state of our society is plenty proof of this. Who has the stamina to properly bring up, nurture and teach another soul, or _several??_ Take a quick look around and you can see a lot of people underestimate the endeavor. There’s a lot less pressure w/ a pet.

I spent roughly 9am to 9pm, monday to friday working at my office. You must be out of your mind if you think I'm going to spend what precious free time I have on a expensive, noisy, messy and soul-sucking baby. Bring back wfh and a four days work week then we'll talk.

One of the most underrated reasons with regards to the population pyramid in developing countries especially in Subsaharan African countries is that for the vast majority of years Subsaharan Africa massively underperformed in terms of population not because of a low fertility rate but because of a very high infant mortality rate ,with the massive immunisation drive and modern agricultural methods it means more children grow to adulthood and survive...I look at my country's fertility rate for example the number has halved from 6 children per woman in 1980 to 3.4 children per woman in 2022 and in spite of this the population growth rate has actually increased....whats surprising is that the percentage of people living under extreme poverty has also significantly reduced from 45% in 2005 to less than 10% in 2022 (which is not to be underrated),the literacy rates have gone up,the rate of child malnutrition has gone down,the infant mortality rates have gone down, access to electricity rates have gone up, every single metric with regards to quality of life have gone up....which does not point to an overpopulation problem especially if you consider that the country adds 10 mn(from 38 mn in 2009 to 48 mn in 2019) people every decade, and the same story can be told of Tanzania which added 16 mn people (from 48 mn to 64 mn) in the last decade....this can only indicate that the countries were vastly underperforming in terms of population....

We got no money, we wish to end cycles of generational trauma/pain, we have no stable future, cats are cuuute

Honestly a lot of people think young people are the problem, like "girls dont wanna be housewives anymore" but honestly that life doesnt sound too bad. I like to cook and it would be nice to spend the day cooking. And caring for my kids. (I would definitely have to mature a bit before i have kids, another concern is that not all people are fit to raise children) However that isnt realistic to me bc people cant really just live on 1 income anymore. Its not individuals that are the issue its the economy

When it comes to medical care for pets and advancements- I *literally* got my dog spay and Gastropexy surgery performed laparoscopically. It was definitely expensive, but I would highly recommend it. 🙌🏻

I love my children but I'm crushed on how difficult it is for them to just enjoy living! I was delusional to think it would be better for them!

This is so interesting. I always wondered why adults in first world countries are preferring pets over kids

👉 Insight into the pet food industry from an insider: the top 3 brands (Mars, Colgate & Nestle) are largely the worst offenders when it comes to pet nutrition. They have agreements with vets, veterinary universities, pet diagnostics & pet medication services. These foods contain high amounts of starches (carbs) that dogs find hard to digest (dog's don't secrete amylase, an enzyme which breaks down starches in the mouth), they also put sugar or dextrose in pet food in order to make it addictive. Dogs can make their own blood sugar with protein and fat, it's called gluconeogenesis. Largely, if you read the ingredients in the small print on the back of the bag of food, avoid carbs and focus on better ingredients (fresh venison, wild boar, whole mackerel, free range chicken...), your dog will live healthier, and you will largely avoid the vet and all the problems that come with food related issues. Always read the ingredients in pet food, because everyone is trying to sell you something on the front.

If that's the case why families with more income have less kids and more pets...

Excellent video! Really enjoyed what was discussed here and you brought up some excellent points :) As for myself, currently I'm a 27 year old single guy. I've worked with both kids and pets before throughout my life, going as far back as my teens. I'm also someone who struggles a lot with mental health, and currently works a very low paying job in sacrifice to have more time to work on my own growth and be able to be available for others in need, as my poor experience with 8 years of college kept me very busy and unable to spend actual quality time to figure out where to go and what to do in life. Right now, I own several pets, and I don't see that changing in the future, as my pets least give me some reason to get out of bed and stay alive. But, I'm also someone who chose to own pets because I enjoy animal husbandry/animal care, and I've wanted kids for a long time, but felt it was important I learned how to care for different animals first before I ever get the chance to tackle caring for a child. I know if I manage to marry someone, and we discuss if we'd like to have kids, I'd likely inform them I'd like to have us raise a pet or two first to see how we manage before committing ourselves to a child. It would give us an opportunity to gauge what type of caretakers we may be collaboratively, and help provide an idea of how to manage and arrange our life schedules around a new or younger member of the house alongside giving us some time to save up for raising a child in case we do. I also feel it helps to try raising a pet least once in your life so that way if you ever wind up in a predicament where you do have to act as caretaker for someone, regardless if they're an animal or person, you'll least be a bit prepared and ready. EDIT: Last minute thought, but I suppose something worth mentioning is that when you *don't know* how to care for someone or something and/or don't know how to tackle a situation that's critical to the being's health....it's deeply painful when you fail and lose them. It's something that I'll always rather experience with an animal first over a human though, and I take what I learn from my caretaking mistakes to better myself as a caretaker for the future. I've experienced this several times with pets, with the mistakes made coming from myself just being a human. It's a depressing thought, but I'm thankful that hopefully one day I'll be experienced enough to handle critical situations with a person calmly thanks to learning from different mistakes that are applicable to both human and animal care.

Strangely enough society won't take kindly if you wanna get rid of your kids. However, there are no issues if you wanna ditch you pet.

28F. I refuse to have children when I'm still budgetting my tapioca pudding into my groceries, lol. Also, I grew up basically raising my two little sisters (we have a 15-20 year age gap). My stepdad is a good for nothing man child. I'm burnt out of children. I want my own freedom. My bf also had to help raise his half brother. His mom is a single parent. We want our own freedom to save and spend without worrying if we can give enough to another little human-- time, energy, patience, and money.

And this is the real life Boss Baby movie.

I have wondered about the societal underpinnings of the rise in the status of pets over the last twenty years or so. This video does a good job of exploring the current situation. Raising children these days isn't easy, so I can see why some people might give up on this and have pets instead. People's attitudes toward pets have changed a lot over the years. In the 1970s and 1980s, many people had dogs and cats, but it seems like people have become increasingly attached to and emotionally dependent upon their pets since then. If pets are somehow replacing children, then this could make sense. Nowadays, most apartment buildings allow dogs and cats (usually with added fees), whereas in the 1980s, there were very few pet-friendly apartments. If I went back in time and told people in the 1980s that it isn't unusual for people to bring their dogs into restaurants in the 2020s, the 1980s people would likely think we are nuts. I view these changes as negative. Apartments are bad for dogs since they don't have the space they need and they frequently become a nuisance for neighbors due to dog poop and incessant barking. Dogs don't belong in restaurants and most stores, with the exception of properly trained service dogs. At least these days, it isn't generally considered acceptable to let dogs (and, to a lesser extent, cats) out of the house and allow them to run wild through the neighborhood, as was common in the 1980s. Though I would be happy if we mostly went back to the 1980s in terms of the place of pets in society, this is one change that I would want to keep. As pets become more and more important to their owners, I think the pet owners need to recognize their obligations not only to the pets, but also to their neighbors and society in general. Those who do not know how to properly care for and manage their pets shouldn't have them.

This is both interesting and dystopic at the same time.

At this point having a horse is probably cheaper than having a kid (depending on the breed, of course)

I def do not have $14,000 a year to raise a child. If the economy were not so terrible and wages were better, maybe, but my husband and I have never been able to make enough money to afford raising a kid without flirting with poverty. I am glad we gave up on it because now we both work two jobs just to try to keep ahead and save a little money for emergencies. Rent keeps going up, groceries are insane, all our bills have gone up and wages... are going nowhere. To say nothing of the terror of many of the new laws being passed that make me seriously doubt my child would grow up in a country where they feel safe and have equal opportunity for success compared to wealthy kids. Also my husband and I adopted two pugs (one from a family member who passed on and another from a local pet sanctuary) and we tell people all the time not to buy bred pugs. They have so many health issues because of the way they are bred, and both of our dogs were from breeders who over bred them and they had additional health issues from that. It's so incredibly cruel. There are plenty of great dogs needing adoption, stop going to these horrible breeders!

Good parenting is great for future generation of mankind. I fully support anyone who wants to have kids. More good parents better off the world will be. Bad parenting is the number one cause of most our problems. I fully support anyone’s decision to not have kids. Less bad parents the better the world can be.

I thought Caya was single, lol. Great video, as always. As for me, I don't want children because I can't afford it (currently unemployed), I don't think my family's genetics are very good (lots of cancer cases and diabetes in my family), and I don't think I'd be a good parent, as well

The thing is children are a huge investment of time and money, daycare is super expensive and people working full time don't have the ability to be there for their children. Plus birth control makes it easier to avoid having children on accident. Plus there are legitimate concerns about job security, often jobs do layoffs and can fire people without warning. I think perhaps there should be something that eases the burden on parents and incentivizes raising children in a two parent household. Maybe a guranteed basic income type of system could be implemented for married couples with children to hopefully enable one of the parents to stay at home to raise the kids or at least afford daycare. And it would encourage couples to actually have kids because they would be less concerned about finances with an extra income.

Hi! I worked at a pet food store and in December of 2022 the FDA stated that there was non-hereditary DCM associated with both grain-free and grain-containing diets. Grain free/gluten free dog food is not conclusively linked with causing DMC (dilated cardiomyopathy) Pet parents, you aren’t harming your doggy by feeding them grain free!! If you see they react best to grain free then rest assured, you are doing a good job!

As an average employee and having 3 kids living in Singapore as a foreigner, with some say one of the most expensive cities to live in, we're still living comfortably (not lavishly). Being a parent changed me. I wouldn't have it any other way. I guess, depends on how you wanna live life.

I'm 26 and whenever I talk to my mum she always hint at me that she wants grandchildren, that I should have kids, etc. I pretty much am not in any positions to have kids, provide for my kids, or have time for kids. I can only earn enough to pay my bills and only have just a bit more left to put into savings every week (and I know that I'm more privilege than a lot of people, a lot cannot even earn enough to save up). I'm busy enough working just to provide for myself. How am I supposed to have kids in this day and age?

Love the personal takes you throw in!

I adopted my pup back in January and he is alot of work but now with a schedule much better. Dogs only live between 10 to 15 years on average. They are cheaper and easier than children. You can leave a dog home alone for free but you cant leave a child home alone....at all lol. And after having my dog i realized i dont think i even want kids.

It’s too expensive to have kids, childcare is really expensive so it’s just not financially viable unless one of you has a really high paying job so the other can stay at home. Not to mention that with how high rent and bills are it uses up most of your salary

For me, it's less about the yearly cost of raising a child and more about the money/assets I'd be able to leave behind for them. I turned 22 in 2012 with a net worth of -$28,000 (student loans). I've clawed my way into a positive net worth all while the cost of housing has skyrocketed and become completely out of reach. I don't expect to inherit land or money when my parents pass on. I will not leave my kids in the same situation my parents left me. This is an increasingly unequal country and if you're not born with land, money, or stocks in your name - you're at a massive, almost insurmountable disadvantage. Unless I strike gold in the next five years, kids are a no go. This game is just too rigged to justify having them.

OK, I'm old. One of the things I've noticed in the past few years is the incredible interest in dogs. I mean, dogs have been around, but lately they are everywhere. I thought it was just me noticing because I had time on my hands so I appreciate this post. Dogs rule. BTW, I didn't have kids and I have several older women friends who focused on their careers.

Super interesting video and a topic I (relatively) think about pretty frequently. I was born in 1986, and I am 37 years old today. So very much so a millennial. My mom was always the "crazy cat lady", and very well known as such because she loved cats, she had three cats, they were allowed to live inside with us, they were treated as family, and sincerely were treated as my three older sisters (I was otherwise an only child) My mom was constantly bugged or even made fun of by everyone that used to come over, friends, family, neighbours, didn't matter. As it is, most people, and this was really only back in the 90's that I am referring back to largely, but even then most people used to say things like "gross, cats are supposed to be outside. They are farm animals meant for hunting mice. How can you let them in the home?" and yet now today, my mom is more of the norm than the fringe. If anything, I would say that a lot of the norm has even blown by her over the years, where she in no way goes half as over-the-top with her cats. My cat at this point in my life, she honestly acts like some weird mixture of acting like she thinks she's my daughter and my wife. She wants to be taken care of, but she also wants to be the boss lol.

I would love to be a mother and have like 4 kids, and I hope to become one before hitting my 30's, but it's so f*cking expensive. And to become one I would probably have to lose my job and stay at home all day, and with our current economy I can't afford that. It is really sad.

It’s weird how in some places (like the US) it’s common to breed dogs in puppy farms and sell them in stores while the buyers are treating their pets as their kids. In some more regulated jurisdictions it’s not allowed to sell dogs in stores, which means that you have to buy the pet from the breeder. But hey, not long ago you could buy people from a plantation so I guess time will tell. 🙃

I think I would love to have a kid but both me and my partner are both autistic and the sensory issues that would come with a loud sticky child are a huge reason as to why we’d probably choose to have a pet over a baby. If we were to have kids we’d want to be in an environment where we could community raise the child, takes a lot of the pressure off of us emotionally and living in a commune style community would hopefully reduce some of the cost.

"God forbid you leave your dog alone at home". This is a terrible statement. You should not leave a dog alone for several hours a day. It's basically torture. If you're a dog owner and don't know this, you didn't do the minimum amount of research and are not responsible enough to have a pet, let alone a child.

I’m so immature. I wouldn’t wish another child to suffer of what a monster I could be.

When people call me selfish for not wanting to have children? YES CALL ME SELFISH! I don’t care. I can barely afford to myself, let alone my unborn child. If I’m the child, I don’t want to have me as a the mother as well. I’ll consider to adopt children when I have enough money and stable career to give my child a happy childhood and bright future. The last thing that i want is to say no to my child because i have no money to afford it. I see children equally and i think there are lots of children out there in need of love so I don’t think it’s necessary to give birth to children.

I’d rather regret not having kids, than regret having them bc no kid deserves that. My partner and I (28F, 32M) are privileged to be able to afford a kid, but that would mean we can’t get into the housing market which we’re currently slaving to get in for, cause that’s pretty much the best way to make sure we’re set when we retire. We’ve both seen our mothers go destitute after their divorces so no thank you. Financial stability comes first.

It also makes sense that a lot of people "just don't want kids" considering overpopulation and how our future is described. It could be nature's logical way of solution. Like how male births are going up after big wars, nobody can explain that. Nature just does its job and regulates itself. The problem is not ONLY decreasing child births but also MORE elderly people than young people. And like mentioned earlier having more children doesn't do it if we also have overpopulation. This is just one possibility of one of many reasons. Of course it is also a big consequence of our time and lifestyle.

Before I can have kids, I need to find a wife first :*(

Pets are the new kids, plants are the new pets and kids are the new exotic animals 😂

Interesting, thanks for the video!

I like my sanity, freedom, money, vacations, and quietness.

I wish we'd stop throwing around "selfishness" as if that's universally a bad thing. If you don't want kids because you like your freedom, that's no worse than having kids for extra hands to help on the farm - it's just a different consideration. I'm 30 and have a 14-year-old stepson, so the thought of having kids of my own didn't actually really hit me until I turned 30 and realized, whoa, we have a teenager already and I have so much life left still. We are fortunate enough that we can afford more kids, and my hobbies mostly centre around outdoor fitness and I find myself thinking, "This experience of being out in nature would be so much fun to share with a little human who finds wonder in everything." Admittedly I think some of that perspective comes from a really good mushroom trip where it really was like seeing the world through the eyes of a child again - I highly recommend the experience for anyone who is on the fence about having kids or feeling anxiety about the issue because it brought me a lot of peace. My husband even said that he wished he'd done it when his son was younger because he had difficulty relating to young children and he had almost an epiphany like, wow, this must be how he was experiencing the world as a toddler, and that's amazing and I wish I'd understood that back then. I think asking whether having kids or not having them is selfish totally misses the point. All major life decisions are "selfish" - from where you live to who you choose as a partner to your education and career path, at their core all those decisions too are rooted in what is going to create the best life for you and no one else. So let's stop asking the selfishness question and instead focus on creating an environment so families who want children can actually afford to have them and can raise them in a safe and healthy and loving environment.

When Empires are ending they are many signs

I've noticed some if my in-laws are obsessed with dogs now. Like we can't go out without them fawning over every dog they see. I think it's because they want grandkids...