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I'm not surprised you don't like cats, you talk like prey. They probably try to take a chunk of you. But seriously, all people like you tell me when you say that you don't like cats? You want control, unearned and unconditional love from moment one and you want unfettered touching of your pet without needing to wait for consent. In short, it tells me you're an asshole. Cats will not let just anyone touch them. They will constantly check to see if you're worthy. They give or rescind consent by their choice. Some humans aren't mature enough to stand that. And I think dog people are just jealous that cats are the number one pet in the world. 😻
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.
It's so ridiculous. Children in plenty of other developed countries do just fine on their own, whether it's going to or from school or just being left alone at home. It's like it's just the US that thinks kids can't have any independence whatsoever.
Yeah, and being developed, everyone has a smart phone so we've become a nanny state where people will take a video of you if they think you're doing something 'wrong' and that can have real consequences for your life, I am amazed by the ppl who are raising kids now and working full time!
Nobody is going to reverse the trend though. Everybody complains about the more and more individualistic society, everybody complains about children not being able to play and explore and gain life experience autonomously, as in the past, yet, no government was able to infuse again a developed country with more community spirit. It seems like the trends have rules of their own and change our society without us noticing. Maybe urbanization and modern corporate structure is the issue. People don’t have a community and help each other anymore, they serve as workers to a few powerful monopolies, meanwhile believing that they are free individuals, and equating life satisfaction with extreme consumption.
@@Riorozenthe economy doesn't care about individuals or you creating a community. A corporations purpose is to extract as much wealth as possible from it's consumers while paying it's workers as little as possible. Don't worry about your fire arms. The NRA won't let anyone touch your guns.
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?
Dead people like ancient cave dwellers do not care what people living do or don’t do. Why are you suggesting that dead people have feelings? That is not logical and it’s not correct.
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 :)
Mine is the same. He had at least two homes before mine and I like to think this is his happiest. He loves to be near me and in the morning he has this special meow to get me to come to the kitchten and watch him eat. It's sweet, but I wish he would let me sleep.
"Even through i dont enjoy my life very much..." There is much more to your life than your job and a cat that needs addressing. On another note, for your cat's sake, if you are gone for long hours, get another cat. Cats are social animals. Why do you feel it is alright to isolate a cat that much during the day? Cats do sleep alot, but they also do that when bored. I feel for your cat.
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
@@calvinsmyth you'll have better stories, by not having kids or attachments you are able to travel and spend time with friends, make your own dreams come true. That will be a lot of stories :D don't hate
@@HSfox nothing is a guarantee for happiness, but most people say that children give them a higher sense of purpose in life. Where are all those friends you talk about? Urban Americans don’t have real friends, most of those modern people are jumping from opportunity to opportunity and don’t give any much value in relationships. reproduction is natural. Animals don’t reproduce in extremely overcrowded and confined environments, just like in the modern West.
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.
@@superresistant0 Okay, but the people you're thinking about are usually miserable, living in drug and/or crime infested areas and/or willing to literally risk death just to escape. Why would anyone want to bring a child into that? Yes, let me just birth a child who will die of black lung or be sold off to a rich p*do at age eight, how very selfless.
I have lived long enough to know the world will TAKE every iota of energy it thinks you have to give. So this will never change. Ever. The pressure will never be off. Youll need to make the selfless and long term decision to pick up a burden because you want to and not because it is easy DESPITE those things. Then youll find, after a while, that the world is taking less energy from you. Not because it is nicer. Nono. Its because it CANT get any more out. Youll have less to give, so it will get less. You will always be tired. BUT. Knowing that will allow you to enjoy every day without guilt. Thats a gift.
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.
Seriously. My sister had a traumatic birthing experience (of course she downplayed the entire thing). She had The WORST NEWBORN up until a year ever. My niece did not take naps. She still doesn’t take naps. To sleep my sister had to sleep in bed with my niece with holding the passy in her mouth for the first 8months. Again. She didn’t tell me this. So I was shocked when I asked if she was going to have another one, and she said “oh hell no!” So once I found out, I don’t blame you!!
(forcing someone to come into the world so they can be your punching bag for all the emotional trauma you haven't dealt with IS selfish though...and probably over half of parents are in that boat)
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.
Kids are freaking expensive. College already put you $150,000 in debt, so why are you digging yourself into a deeper financial hole? Duh, don't have kids. Why are people calling others selfish for minding their life decisions properly?
@@PennyWise-eu9nzThere is no positive endgame to your proposed scenario. Things will only continue to go downhill as our dead-end societal structures break down more and more; creating sentient life to uphold our mess is not prudent. The prudent course of action is to get ourselves in order first, and then consider bringing new life into the world. Creating new life doesn’t solve any problem it doesn’t create in the first place.
@@PennyWise-eu9nzChina's one child policy, overworking their people for low pay, and overcontrolling the population lead to low birth rates. Why would anyone want to have kids when you work 360 days a year to hardly survive, live in a dictatorship, and have almost no prospects or hope for the future yourself?
It's because as the quality of living rises, parents think they will raise some drug addict thug if they don't take their kid to a fancy highschool, an ivy League school, feed them organic farm to table food, have them play exotic sports and have a 6 bedroom house when most people now have 1 kid as a family, 2 if they are a big family. Most of these people did not grow up in such wealth and turned out fine, great in some cases. That is the real issue.
In the grand scheme of things it's always been a luxury having kids, but we as a species ignored the facts. We'd reproduce and think about the consequences later. We as a species seem to be more aware of it now than we ever were.
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.
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.
I’m with you on this. As someone who raised younger siblings, I’m good with kids. Great even, everyone tells me I’d make a great parent. I just don’t want them, not after raising that many siblings and knowing how much work goes into it. I just want to enjoy my life.
For the sake of argument, unless one is asexual, every time one feels horny and wants to have sex, it is essentially our baser instincts wanting to procreate. However, our cerebral hemispheres have evolved some degree of self-control and developed contraceptives to prevent pregnancies after sex.
@@Randi-h5q Your premise isn't really true. Sex drive is not an instinct to procreate; it's instinctual pleasure-seeking. Natural selection just happened to work out such that (most) actions involved in procreation (mostly) cause us pleasure, because all of us alive today are results of people happening to end up choosing actions that led to reproduction. There may be some innate drives in some people to reproduce, but that's more likely attributable to cultural conditioning than anything in our basic innate brain operations. There is just an innate instinct to try things that seem likely to be pleasurable, to repeat pleasurable acts, and generally avoid painful experiences (when we can/know how to).
You have to recognize: Thousands of humans lived to create you. Your ancestors go back to the creation of life itself. DNA is our basecode and our only pupose in life seems to live and move on. If you end your bloodline with you, you proof to nature that your DNA is not worth of reproduction and moving on. End life is nothing positive. What if you have one stupid kid and 10000 years later his bloodline will create the one who develops interstellar travel and heals cancer? Safe billions of life and the entire human race. Now you are there: Nope, I want a dog instead of a kid. Its kind of a disrespect to your whole bloodline to just end it. I hope you have brothers, sisters, uncels and aunts to not let you end their bloodline complete. Imagine the stupid fish who started walking on land though: kids? nah, to much effort. I want a pet. Entire species would have never existed. Thats pretty sad.
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
But ... But ... Who's gonna take care of you in old age .... ME! By saving enough money and trying to be healthy enough. Being overstressed and without money is a considerable aging accelerant. Having kids and ruining your relationships and credit score in order to gamble on your children's future as a caretaker?
hm. i get ur point. on the other hand, it is still better now then ever before in history - imagine people had always this opinion to just have kids if they would have all the best in their lives.. we would been gone by now. ... but i totaly get it, kinda feel the same, kinda want to have at least one child, even as a single(dad) i would love to love.
You do you. I'm single and it was really lonely in the house for me when I was between cats. I remember getting home from work and noticing how dark it was. Cats changed that. They kept me company during the bad times.
I 100% agree.. but either way you can’t have self and kids at the same time. Whether you make enough money or not, you have to give yourself to the kids you birth.
Only people who doesn't know how to deal with loneliness, solitude, is screaming out here. They don't want be alone and be obbligated to be with themselves and their issues. People who needs an emotional stick to lean on always want a kid or a pet in order to not think about their turbulent emotional life. Let me say one thing: capitalism reduces everything to money, kids and pets spend all of it. You have to save money in order to live, pay bills, buy a house, pay medical services, buy food, clothes, shoes, medicines. Many of us millennials are struggling with late college, or coming back to graduate in a second course.
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.
@@elin_ nah, almost naked women on the street, naked women on the internet, constant inflation on housing and education, stagnant wages, the constant need of printing/borrowing money to keep the economy going at all. these are the real reason why people dont want to have kids. my reason at least
@@schmooplesthesecond5997 What xD there are no naked women anywhere in the public, because its illegal being naked in public.. stop with your muslim misogynist thoughts.
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.
@@home4life505 my husband and I could not comfortably afford to have kids because that would mean either paying for daycare or losing an income and no it takes both of us to go ahead and pay for all of our bills. You obviously have no idea about the economy and about any of this discussion here because you've obviously been incredibly privileged. Conservatives are the ones that have screwed us over in the first place because conservatives want to allow businesses to just screw over their employees and not actually pay the employees a fair wage. Wages are remains stagnant and we make 20% less then are boomers did at our same ages because we have not continued to increase wages because of conservatives being so greedy and wanting to ensure that they get top payouts on their stalks so they're going to go ahead and cater to all of those businesses instead of actually caring about the American people who have not had wages increase in decades.
@BWAGREES "You aren't entitled to other people's resources." Isn't that the conservative belief? The reason you don't believe in taxes or a minimum wage?
@@home4life505yes, if you bag barely afford your rent you can’t afford kids. Doesn’t take a genius to realize that and has nothing to do with anyone falling for something
@@toniomz1205 What's your definition and criteria for what's considered to be sad? Who is it sad to? Sad to you? If the commenter reads your reply and decides to have kids because of the fear of appearing sad towards others, wouldn't that cause the commenter to potentially develop an unhealthy family or raise a child in an unideal condition? If that's the case, in my opinion I think it'll be more sad for you if you ended up pressuring someone into having a child they don't want or is ready to take care of but that's just based on my criterias for what's perceived to be a sad outcome 🤔
@@computerconcepts3352 dude dont over think...its sad because nobody cares if you have a pet the guy put DINKWAD like its important its not! Pet are not kids, pet are not your family legacy, pets are not important to society, kids are. The people obsessed with dogs/cats they like too much the master - slave relationship thats all.
@@toniomz1205 love how you think missing out on sleep each night, spending thousands of dollars each year on whiny brats, and having lifelong stress of being a parent is a positive thing. 😂🤣
If you have chickens, I hope you don't live near me. Some people nearby have chickens and a rooster that crows constantly. I want to go over there with my cast iron skillet and take care of the problem once and for all.
Riiiiight, make decisions about your life based upon how others have run their lives. That sounds like what a smart, individually-minded person would do...NOT.
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.
My engagement ring cost $25 and my wedding ring cost $35. Diamonds are overrated and you don't have to have a ring with a stone. I just have a tungsten carbide band with no stone because in reality it's going to get damaged with everyday life. Let him get you a ring and tell him to get something super simple
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
Same here. 3 kids, getting divorced due to finding out my spouse's secret life. I can afford 3 kids on my salary but my life is going to be tough the next 16 yrs
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.
Young ppl: be productive with kids Many years later: Uhm, I'm overworked to death so I'm not going home for a while. Love you mom/dad😘 Old ppl: Die alone (Other alternative) Old ppl: Ahhh! Cats eat my face!!! Young ppl: Well, at least you're not alone...
Parents have been saying that for years but that didn't stop the greatest generation from having seven kids. Boomers had fewer kids because that was the start of the self indulgent explosion of wealth and greaterr itnerest in money and luxory than family.
@@superresistant0well technically, even if you have kids, it does not mean they will actually take care of you in old age. I know an older person with cancer, still working full time on his company, supporting his adult kids because they can’t support themselves since they’re hooked on drugs and don’t want to go to rehab. He pays for their rent, bills, car, food, etc etc and he probably will until he dies
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. 🤷🏾♀
If you pick the right partner, why would you expect to be a single mother? As to the sh*t Obama economy crash in 2008, join the millions of others who suffered, too. It didn't happen to just you.
It's nice to see people being responsible about such things. Everyone believes they have a right to have children just because they can (which is absolutely debatable, but because of the disgusting history of forced sterilizations it's generally a taboo topic). Unfortunately, that leaves mostly just the irresponsible or rich to have kids. There was a 60 minutes report about this one woman who ended up having 5 kids even though the first two had a genetic disorder (only time will tell if it will affect the others too apparently), and guess what? She couldn't afford their treatment + raising 3 other kids and was fishing for money! Why did you have more then? This other woman had a kid with a genetic condition and then birthed another one in the HOPES that it would be a match for an organ transplant for the 1st one. What if that kid gets it too?! Is anyone discussing the ethics of a child being born for spare parts?
@@calvinsmythshe never said it happened to just her wtf are you on about? Also, "picking the right one" is something a niave person who's not lived a hard life says.
@@calvinsmyth We were all in the same storm but guess what, just because it's the same storm, doesn't mean that everyone is on the same boat, building, vehicle, etc. Everyone has their unique experiences and perception. Plus, 2008 wasn't the only time that our economy has crashed. There has been multiple times since then.
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.
🤣 Only a millenial would ask something from others in order to do something so personal as procreate. Why would you ask for any involvement from employers (work hrs. & pay) for something that you would in turn be willing to do in your own bedroom? You making your sexy time, in ANY way, dependent on what your employer will do for you is hilarious.
Well society IS actively asking millennials for things as personal as procreation. As long as the government and society finds it appropriate to infiltrate our bedrooms with constant reminders to procreate, constant insolent questions about our marital status and biological fertility, constant shaming of women for choosing not to have children and simultaneously punishing them for actually having children (did you know that young women in committed relationships are often refused a job position because they might get pregnant soon and it is unprofitable to hire them?), I think it’s more than fair to ask for compensation. You don’t want to pay for someone’s baby? Quit complaining that they aren’t having this baby. Only a boomer would so entitled to someone else’s body, time, and finances.
@@calvinsmyth People shouldn't be having kids if a. They can't afford them and b. They don't have the time to take care of them. Productivety has gone way up but wages remain stagnant, that's not Millennials fault, that's corporate greed. People won't have kids if they are broke and tired, so yes it is the government's job to improve our lives if they want more babies being born.
@@BigDaddyJinx In an age of automation that would be the best outcome. Get with the times. ETA: Millennials work more for less money, that's not sustainable.
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.
not selfish at all. you are thinking ahead just like any sane and responsible person should do. if you know your situation is not optimal or even close to "decent" then it is a wise choice to not bring a child into it. people who enforce "you should have a child" are the selfish ones. it's your life, live it as you see fit.
You both sound nice. Some observations of my life: - The world always takes as much energy as it can give. People with no kids are as busy as people with kids because the world *always takes as much energy as people can give* . - We are being socially engineered to not have children by giving our consciousness aka the energy management algorithm that runs us the power to decide if we have kids. Something the body had a veto button for for millions of years. A huge source of our anxiety and depression is our body and consciousness realizing something is wrong, but not knowing what it is. Like a bird with its wings clipped, we know something is wrong but dont have the capacity to nail it down. So were just sad. - As long as you arnt having kids to escape from problems, and you plan to love them, you cant go that wrong. Speaking from experience as a child who had messed up parents. It sounds like you would be nice parents, but I get the whole stress thing. So maybe some of those ideas are decent food for thought for you. Good luck.
I'm older Gen Z. I'm very light weight and I totally refuse to go through the risks of a pregnancy and childbirth. Plus the draining stages of newborns and toddlers. If I ever want to be a mother when I'm older, I will adopt an older child who is already here. I don't get the obsession with reproducing.
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!
@@willissudweeks1050 wow you're not a very competent person are you? Do you have to shoot yourself in the leg to know that bullets are painful or can you just watch idiots do that and learn from their experience?
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@aquaabouttogetfunky Yeah, it's all marketing, everyone is told the US is the best country in the world but then we do things that would be the same as poor countries, just with a shiny image. Sure it's definitely better than being super poor, but then again being a step up from poverty sometimes doesn't feel good enough for people to have kids.
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.
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?
True, that is a risk. But I believe it’s wrong to frame children as an “investment” that will take care of you when you grow too frail to do that yourseld. That’s how you end up in the senior home. Also, wdym nobody? Sounds like a perfect opportunity for some nursing jobs.
@@superresistant0 if that was the absolute case, there would be no nursing homes... or assisted living centers. There will always be people who don't mind getting paid to work in nursing homes, but you may be blown away by the amount of people who have parents in nursing homes that they rarely visit. If I had kids, by the time I was old enough to need that kind of care, they'd be old enough that they could not physically take care of me, and in reality, they would probably still need to work to counter the cost of living and health insurance. Besides, if you build proper relationships, which you should do even if you have kids, you won't be alone.
@@superresistant0 It's already too late. Too many people can't afford kids and won't have them. What happens when Millenials and Gen Z get old, happens. Too bad. Our dear, very intelligent leaders decided society's fate.
@@superresistant0 - What if your child marries someone from a foreign country and moves there? What if your child has special needs and YOU need to take care of it until you are old? A child is not a good retirement plan.
Riiiight. However you grew up is exactly how you'll remain throughout your entire life. You will never be able to break the chains of your upbringing. Even a rock, is less stagnant than that.
@@calvinsmythdef harder to change if they get the same economic pressures or worse. I can't even get my own place yet with my income and I'm 25 this year. I'm not adding a kid to that.
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.
@Psychodegu I don't know that they benefit me, though. They're just good company and help me stay active. What I meant to say is I don't see the point in spending 18 years working to raise a child for zero financial benefits to me.
@@antonSugar How many activities does it even sound reasonable to do only if it financially benefits you? Only a few specific activities are done solely for financial gain. It just seems like your analyzing aspects of your life using categorical errors.
@Psychodegu I mean, the video does focus on people's bad financial situation as a big reason why they aren't having children. I simply prefer spending those resources on other enjoyable activities.
@@antonSugar I mean if your in a bad financial situation buying a dog seems like a pretty dumb thing to do too. What you are really saying is you like dogs more then having your own kid. The money stuff is a red herring, as far as I can tell.
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.
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.
☝️This is an important point that not enough people talk about. There's a school of thought that theorizes that indeed gay people have persisted throughout history despite this up until recently creating evolutionary "dead ends," so to speak, because it is beneficial for communities to have people who help raise children but have no children of their own. So for example, a woman without children may help care for the children of other women, and men without children help hunt more food for the community and defend them without adding another mouth to feed. It is kind of a sister theory of the grandmother hypothesis which presents a theory as to why human women - as well as a couple of other species with high-maintenance offspring, such as killer whales - go through menopause.
@@nuance9000To be fair, this is primarily an issue with the nuclear family. Grandparents and childless aunts used to provide much more direct support to children than they do now. If you were a mother who theoretically spent all day with your fellow female tribe members, for example, I'd imagine the lines could get quite blurred at times as to who is watching the kids at any given time. Even women breastfeeding one another's children is not that uncommon in tribes in the modern day.
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?
Having kids imo is selfish. You think you deserve a kid just cause you want one? You think your genes should live on? Why? Why are you so special you get to make another one of you? You cant afford a kid? Oh so you just wanna take advantage of welfare to raise them? (Its ok if its an accident)
I agree with much of what you have said. However, the issue I have with that take, is that it does actually harm other people. When the population pyramid is inverted and there are more elderly than young, everyone suffers. The elderly would suffer because there is less young to help take care of them and the young suffer because there is are too many elderly to support. I forsee in the coming decades an age of social and economic unrest. If there are less young workers to support taxes, then the government would either increase taxes (further making it hard to be young) or ignore the elderly (reject the concept of retirement and medical care for the elderly). It is selfish to not see the big picture and realize that because of the lack of child bearing, the infrastructure will collapse along with the population and the quality of life will go down because of that. Pretending to think that 10 or 20 years down the line will be like it is now where you can even afford pets will be ridiculous. Pets are great companions but they are not substitutes for children who can actually take care of you when you get older. What needs to happen is that the family structure needs to be rethinked. The nuclear family is obsolete so it must be replaced by the traditional system in which large families all live together. This allows community and closeness between each other as well as an importance in serving the community rather than simply living for ourselves. This beings meaning to our lives and is good for society as it brings back the chance to find love and have a family within the community. Our system disregards community in favor of artificial community in the workplace. But that does not foster bearing kids but only pursuing money and materialistic pleasures. We need to bring back the roots of community because fellowship and place of being a part of a greater whole is what many people truly want. Not simply another cog in a machine. Kids are a blessing even if some may think them as nothing more than hindrances to their achievement of personal pleasures.
@@ElCampeador99 The answer is not shaming people who don’t want kids into having them. Current figures put the number of Millennials who may never have kids at 20%. The answer is in making it easier for the 80% of people who do want kids to have them, have more of them, be able to afford them and raise them in good health, etc. Nobody should have more ownership over my body than me-that’s just fascism. But altruism would be, like you said, building communities that support families so that people can actually have them without risking poverty, job loss, medical bankruptcy, or being trapped in abusive marriages.
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.
I agree. We should just say "the hell with it" and start building houses ourselves in the woods like the pioneers and settler days. They didn't have to deal with mortgages: they just built wherever sounded good to do so. What if we started doing that on federal land or unused state owned land? Who would stop you?
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.
@@UlexiteTVStoneLexiteThere will be less expensive ways to do so than whatever campaign pushes you to do so. Traditional marketplaces and small restaurants rarely have the money to advertise themselves but can offer an experience of equal if not greater value than the big stores. Delayed spending, nay, delayed gratification is one of the most valuable skills one can cultivate
@@danielchan1668 or again, I can do whatever I want to do with my own money. Do you just have nothing better to do then to try to control other people?
@@UlexiteTVStoneLexiteagreed. Personally i am wanna try iPhone 11 pro though my parents don't think its needed thing. I just want to try it i never had iPhone in my life only Androids
@@godofdeath8785 I would never own an Apple product. I only ever have Android phones. Apple phones are needlessly expensive and you're just paying for the brand name
I know this is a hot debate, but I honestly think the move is for one parent to stay home. Even if daycare is a little less than one income, you're still screwed when the kid is constantly sick, there are holidays, no ability to take OT, etc. You might as well have one parent completely flexible and enjoy that time with your kids while you get it. They can go in daycare for a year before pre-K, as it's very good for them socially, and the other parent is only out of the workforce for two-three years, which is not as large of a set back as people make it out to be. And twenty years later, you're not honestly going to wish you'd given up that time to avoid a gap in your resume, unless you literally prefer to work. It's each individual's desires and values (if they're privileged enough to choose ofc), but I don't like people arguing that SAHM is less responsible for the family's long term goals
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
I'm always irritated by this "not having kids is selfish" argument. "Selfish" means considering your own needs to the exclusion of others'. Who would be the "other" in this equation? You don't *owe* a set number of children to anyone, so there's no justification whatsoever for pressuring people to have children they don't want.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This is exactly how I feel too. If you can't afford to take care of a child (whether that's financially, mentally, or otherwise) you _shouldn't_ have them. To not have children if you know you can't support them and give them the life and love they deserve is the _opposite_ of being selfish. I'm 28 years old & one of the reasons my ex and I broke up was because he probably wanted to have kids at some point, whilst I've become more and more certain that I don't. I have many beautiful plants that I care for and I would LOVE to adopt a (few) cat(s) once I can afford it & move out of this post stamp of an apartment 🤗
@michaelpatrick6984 millennials like to forget they're gonna get old and want the government to look after them. Without a younger replacement whose gonna be footing the bill for our pensions. Pet ain't gonna work or look after your old age.
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.
Can you properly care for children with your personality quirks? It's not only the lack of partner. You won't live isolated with kids and partner. Your kids will force you to interact with others like doctors and teachers.
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.
As a person who has rescued and trained dogs for over 20 years I can assure you that most people aren't spending that kind of money on their dogs. People typically just want good family dogs that aren't aggressive, can walk on a leash and not poop and chew up the house.
I bought pet insurance but am very worried I'm contributing to the same cost bloat that human healthcare is experiencing. Where on day, pet insurance won't be an actual choice
I bet you wouldn't have these costs if you had decided to get a small dog like a dachshund, Shih Tzu, cocker spaniel, beagle, Yorkshire terrier etc. You have a very high maintenance dog, but this is not the case for other breeds.
@@rebeccaa.3121 Oh, yeah I would because I would pay the same amount of money to train the dog. And given that my dog just went through paw surgery and cancer treatments... well, thank god I had pet insurance. My kid had a beagle as an adult, and I had a cocker spaniel growing up. Just watch AKC competitions. Those dogs are high maintenance.
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
If all women left the job market that really wanted to, it would create a mass shortage of workers which would make employers have more demand for the remaining employee pool theoretically. This happened somewhat during lockdown.
@@Qrischun Watch the video, it's not your grand daddys era where the only modern economy was the US while the rest of the world was in ruins so a man with a high school education could live a life that by modern standards requires that same man to have Masters degree to live like your grandfather did.
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.
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....
That's an excellent point. We have a tendency to assume decline = bad, but that's just not always considering the full picture. In these cases, it's all very positive. In first world countries, there's a concern about long term stability, but it doesn't necessarily mean we have to correct it. Heck, the government seems happy enough making up the gap through immigration of workforce ready humans vs investing more in 18 year minimum to workforce growth projects.
a lot of studies have been done on this. people who hate cats either 1. were scratched by a cat in their youth (very normal) or 2. they have control issues and don’t feel comfortable with an animal that doesn’t take direct commands (red flag)
@@bonnielovely It's also that people keep trying to treat cats as if they are dogs. They expect cats to respond the same way a dog does and then get upset when the cat doesn't show affection in the way they want it. Dogs try to learn human communication skills, cats teach humans their special forms of communication. People who dislike cats or consider them to be mean just aren't making an effort to understand each individual cat because they're used to dogs having a universal language.
As an Elder millennial myself, I've never wanted kids, I would get asked by my friends in highschool how many I wanted and I always said zero while they would say "I want 3 or 4", it also doesn't help that I live in a country where having kids is the norm (Mexico) and it's looked down upon if you don't have them. Raising kids here is not as expensive as in the US but it's still expensive by mexican standards, so being a childfree woman in this country was seen a strange, but a lot of my friends are also childfree and those that escaped being baby trapped in school are now reaping the fruits of our non labor. We are the few that live comfortably without any real responsibilities other than paying rent and bills, so we take to having pets because that's what we always wanted as children and often times we were told "no" because our parents didn't want them or couldn't afford them.
@@Qrischun Oh please, ask anybody that had kids why they had them and they will always say "I WANTED TO" anything that has to do with one's own desires is by itself selfish, I'm not denying anybody anything, I'm not affecting anybody other than myself with my decision to not have children, you on the other hand affect the world with a much higher carbon footprint. STFU.
I agree that needs to be discussed more, especially people who want kids but don't get the chance for various reasons & not just fertility (and/or lack of $$ to get fertility treatments) It'd probably be better covered in another video however, especially by someone that has experienced it.
that is a big factor, but not the most pertinent one about 15-20% of people are childless even though they want children bc they don’t have a partner or other medical reasons while the other 80-85% are childfree by choice i think there needs to be more obvious distinction here though bc “childless” is used when people want(ed) kids and don’t or cannot have them while “childfree” is someone that made a choice purposely to not have kids
@@bonnielovely Right childless is an umbrella term, & I sometimes see people use childfree to mean they dont want bio- kids but are willing to adopt or have step kids. (I think this is an incorrect use but I identify as childLESS not free but since I am not part of that community I'm not going to put energy into arguing over it. It's kind of like how "single/unmarried" covers many people who are in relationships.
@@minngael ooh that makes a lot of sense. it's interesting to see that nuance as well with stepchildren & adoption. i have seen people who experience infertility that put more emphasis on this wording than i do. and as someone that isn't in that community, i don't want to disrespect people that are.
Though in some statesthere isn't much accountability for adoptive parents that ditch children sadly, they sometimes informally "re-home" them which is sketchy AF & can lead to child trafficking & abuse. And there often isn't much accountability towards parents in general that neglect &/or abuse their kids, many people I know that don't want kids were abused. They are worried about continuing that cycle.
That's the saddest part of it too. As a child of abuse (from my stepdad) I have a lot of psychological scars that still live with me everyday. I am terrified of getting close to anyone. And when I do find someone I feel safe with I get clingy unfortunately and it drives them away: strengthening my fear of abandonment in relationships. As a result I really can't date anyone because I have come to see relationships as a source of emotional pain: in the end that's all I ever knew anyways. My life now: I'm 36, never had a girlfriend, and I just have shut down that part of my mind that wants a girlfriend as a vestigial fantasy that serves me no usefulness in the real world. One day I wanted to be a dad someday, but I realized that ain't going to happen.
@@NerdSnipingBatman Man, if you do think like that, you wont have nothing else - how do I know it - I had perfect childhood, but I do tend to feel like you do. However, I am objective enough to know that the world is how you perceive it and that sadly is very hard to change. In the end the most important thing is to feel happy. Don't look what you dont have, look what you have and enjoy these things. Best of wishes.
no one is choosing pets in the place of children. No one is thinking (almost no one) "ahhh, what i want for my life? a cute dog or a kid?" People are choosing delay or don't have kids for any reasons, and having or not a pet don't change this decision. On the contrary, people that have a kid or more, may think twice on having a pet, because of the money or just it'll be to much more work. (they already have a kid after all) if the cost of life were ship, and parents could afford be more at home, the decay would be much less.
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'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.
I don't think there is a stigma today that you mention. I think people should do what they want and not have kids unless they want them. You are certainly not a loser for wanting a different lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that.
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.
Sad seeing the millennial generation opt out for pets. It seems short sighted and sad. I'm kinda feeling like I'd rather die than not have kids.... and like having them is going to up my game in terms of responsibility.
Well said, there will be excuses and not an "ideal" moment to have kids. They real reason people don't have them but instead have pets and called themselves pet "parents " is basically mental illness.
@@toniomz1205 On the one hand you shame people who openly admit they will not have children for whatever reasons they have that they think the shouldn't, but then when you see people who have kids and are struggling you will shame them for having children. Make up your damn minds!
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
@@sdtimelesshard when government republicans have started pushing bills to deny contraception. And women are denied sterilisation by big chunk of doctors
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. 🙃
No, it might be 'common' but it is most certainly not acceptable. Most animals from mills come with severe health and personality quirks, and many are often killed if not sold by a certain age. Problem is, a lot of stores that work with so-called rescues for $$$ animal adoptions are actually working with thinly-disguised mills.
They also import from developing countries claiming that they save them, but they are actually creating an incentive for people there to keep dangerous stray populations high.
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.
@@Madamoizillion If that is the case (which I think it may be, but it is probably less of a problem than poverty among families - or just poverty generally - when we directly compare the two, similar to welfare and the amount of people who actively abuse it vs the amount of people who would become destitute without it), then there are other ways to help parents out, such as government subsidies for childcare, medical care, and/or college. Also, paid parental leave, and more protections for workers would help workplace diversity *and* parents who are employed. Fully breaking the ties between employment and access to affordable healthcare, doing anything to slow or stop climate change, changing the workday to resemble the school day so working parents can limit how much daycare they actually need, student loan debt forgiveness (or at the very least making those loans less predatory i.e. being able to declare bankruptcy and start afresh like you can with any other loan in America) would all make prospective parents more interested in having children because said potential parents would be less likely to be cornered in a bad spot with little kids to think of. There is more than one way to help people, if helping people is what you want to do.
That would be very unfair. It's not ok to ask people who don't have children to support those who do. Affordable childcare and education and some financial help is ok.
@@paulaqueirosz It'll encourage people to have children and raise children and those who have the children need the money more than people who don't. And we already support many things with taxpayer money that you might not necessarily agree with, I would rather my money go to parents than some unjustified war somewhere. There are much worse things our taxpayer money could go to.
@@LovethosePNWVibes We already do subsidize childcare and have for years. That's what those tax credits are for. Single people literally pay a fortune in taxes to support families. They also have medical care when they can't afford it it's called Medicaid. Also most states have low cost insurance programs for kids if you have higher wages. Anyone can get healthcare and always could through private insurance...I did for years but now it's even subsidized through ACA. School days should be extended not work days decreased because we have the dumbest kids of all time and in the developed world. No one recognized even what benefits that have that has been on the backs of working people for years they only want more. But young adults now aren't wanting to pay for old boomers to retire because 'they haven't done nothing for us'. Ugh with the BS.
The male apes at the tree top are breeding the whole tree while the knuckle draggers are fighting over whatever falls off. Our kind isn't even begin forced to inbreed but here it is...the top or rarely the vary bottom. We deserve this ending, it's fitting
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!
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.
I mean, it depends on the type of dogs you get. My Chihuahua is happy to sleep almost all day in my house and just needs a short walk. But if you get a husky or a German shepherd. Obviously, you shouldn’t let the dogs all day inside and they’d need more exercise.
a society that humanises pets is a very privileged one. Wealth has grown tremendously in the last 20-30 years, labour saving devices and access to information, goods and services and increased exponentially. In developing countries a lot of people will only have animals to work and they treat them as animals
"Apparentments are bad for dogs" is true. But if it comes to paying $1,000 a month (my half of rent with a roommate) or paying the new prices of $500,000 for a basic house--the later will never be possible in my lifetime. So in one perspective, people will say that you shouldn't get pets if you don't have the space requirements. But if I waited until I could afford a house, I might never be able to get a dog at all. Owning a pet companion to give someone meaning to ward off depression and anxiety shouldn't have to be a luxury for the rich.
@@EC-jd9ej well there are now a lot of dog breeds and other pets that are suited to apartments. I went to the Gold Coast in Australia where nearly everyone lives in apartments and all the dogs you see are little apartment dogs that don't need huge aounts of exercise. Went to a country town a few hours away and everyone has energetic medium sized dogs that love to run in big backyards
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 dont need to pass my chronic pain on to any children. Especially not in a country that is run by oligarchs, lacks universal health care, parental leave, free (or atleast afforable) higher education, guaranteed sick leave, etc My extr resources are for my nieces, nephews, and pets.
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!
I feed my Dog human food. I have more faith in it than these over processed dog foods that I don't know where comes from or what's in them. He eats healthy meats, eggs and a few veggies.
Exactly plus where I live, rent is like $2k a month for a small studio. Employers don’t want to pay more and constantly try to save money. It’s just not possible unless you go into debt
I hate that I relate to this... Adopted Kid going through 'that' phase: "I didn't _choose_ for me to be born!" Me "Well... Neither did I technically, but here we are...."
👉 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.
Yup...Yup & Yup. The problem is people are either too lazy to read or don't feel that their dog is really worth it. These are the same people that will shove countless Happy meals down their kids throats without giving any thought to it whatsoever and then need to give gastric bypass for their kid some serious consideration because, for some unknown reason, their kid is HUGE.
Isn't gluconeogenesis specifically metabolism of protein for glucose supply, and generally only occurring under starvation conditions? And ketogenesis is the more usual fat-and-protein-based-diet scenario when there's sufficient caloric supply? Sincere question, it's been a long time since I studied canine nutrition (and I know feline is a whole different story because their physiology is so wildly different from canines) and I've more recently been steeped in human nutrition -- which is not my real strong suit within physiology -- so I could be accidentally overwriting old info in my brain. I'm gonna google it some too but I'm likely to forget what I was doing within a few seconds so figured I'd ask as well since you seem to be hip to the science
royal canin for cats !! expensive but all real ingredients. male cats are WAY more expensive than female cats most pet food companies won’t even tell you what is in the food, they give a min. or max. like min 60% fat could be 99.9% fat and max. 10% protein means it could be 90% byproducts
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.
How did you not count in pregnancy? It's such a taxing thing on the human body, you can completely loose your health or even die. Not to mention, abortion is being outlawed in many places now, so possibly even if the pregnancy might be fatal, the doctors would still let you die. As someone that was brought to life by a woman with fertility issues and many other illnesses that made the pregnancy worse, not to mention an abortion that was needed (the child died in the womb) I cannot imagine becoming pregnant in this country, in those times. Not to even mention the cost of living, when two people on two salaries can barely afford a rent and some food.
Honestly, choosing to have kids in today's America, you need to be either wealthy or a little crazy! The US is one of 7 countries (on the entire planet) that offer NO paid parental leave. Giving birth alone could land you in ages of medical debt if anything goes remotely wrong, and maternal deaths are shamefully high. Healthcare? Your parents better be wealthy or you and your kid better be invincible. Housing market is insane. Worker rights to help become a homeowner is increasingly getting scrapped. Right-wing politicians are working HARD to make it legal for younger kids to be put to work for longer hours and in previously illegal areas... because that's how determined they are to NOT increasing salaries to livable wages and improve working conditions for the disgruntled workers who no longer want to work these terrible jobs for terrible pay.
One of 7? I have been to Africa, South America and Asia. This claim is wildly false. Way, way more than 7 countries are unable to offer paid parental leave. I have personally been to 6 countries and there was almost no healthcare infrastructure in 5 of them. Employers offering benefits of any kind was unheard of in five. that’s just the 6 Im most familiar with.
@@kacyandlaura Are they supposed to be offering paid parental leave and companies are just iffy about it though? In any case, the US is (supposed) to be a first world country which generates incredible wealth. There really is no excuse for it to screw over its citizens this way, and be comparable to countries much poorer. Or for its healthcare to even be comparable to countries that can't afford a decent infrastructure. The US has some of the best medical infrastructures, medical specialists and available treatments in the world... IF you are extremely wealthy.
@@kated3165It seems like you may be coming from a mindset of believing the federal government has a lot of money, however we are actually trillions in debt. It’s not that conservatives think that people shouldn’t have time with their kids… it’s just that the money has to come from somewhere. Is it really fair for citizens to be required to pay for the parental leave of other citizens? How would this be fair to reduce the salary of those who are just making ends meet or single people? Sometimes people say to tax the big corporations, but that also adds to inflation. They pass the cost on to consumers and/or employees, so it’s not like we can just get free money out of big companies. Our rich are also heavily taxed too, which is a fact. The money the government has comes from taxes from you and me. Are you willing to personally pay more in taxes from each hard-earned paycheck for the rest of your life so others can have paid parental leave? Genuine question. I have seen children playing with trash, sick people waiting endlessly in very inadequate hospitals, people who eat cornmeal mush every day and say it’s their favorite food, elderly people who pick through trash for bottles, so that they will have a little money to get by, and a woman in a market cutting the heads off of frogs with a razor blade so that they would be more suitable for cooking. I saw very few companies, just small businesses owned by families. Very vulnerable businesses, unstable and poor. I know not everyone has the privilege of traveling like I have had, I guess National Geographic magazine is probably the next best thing. Maybe you understand how it just doesn’t sit well with me when people talk about America as if we don’t do enough for our citizens. We really do have it well here. I have friends who traveled to a socialist country a decade ago. They said it literally cost them $100 to buy hamburgers and fries for their family of 4. Is that what you want for America? We have 4 children and the tax exemption child credit we get every year is enormous. We really appreciate it and feel that it helps us make ends meet. We recognize that those who are raising children are investing in the future, that it is costly to do so, and that getting support for it is helpful. I agree that the real estate market is crazy and so is the cost of healthcare.
@@kacyandlaura Your friends traveled to a socialist country? How?? There are literally NO existing socialist country anywhere in the world. None whatsoever. There never has actually been one. Capitalism is the only structure our world is built around. Having some socialist perks in some countries doesn't make them socialist countries... it's still all Capitalism. Even countries who call themselves "communist" are not truly communist at all... its just that their leaders know that word sounds better than "dictatorship". You know who currently benefits from "socialism" most in the US? Politicians and mega corporations who bribe them. The same people telling you "socialism is evil" are the ones constantly benefiting from the socialism they grant themselves with. Politicians and mega corporations get tax payer money thrown at them left and right... they just don't pay any of it (or pay a few crumbs) and rob you of countless billions in doing so. Where would money to help American citizens have better lives come from? Tax money. Only problem with that is that currently you have 816.7 BILLION dollars (official) US military budget. This does not account for all the money that the US pours into the military industrial complex in indirect ways. The (direct) official budget alone is, when compared to every other country on the planet, complete insanity. You could cut this by half and STILL surpass every other country on the planet in terms of military spending. Where does most of this money go? Mega corporations. It's certainly not the veterans seeing much of it for sure... I'm not sure why you are fine with your tax money being endlessly, and near completely, funneled into the pockets of giant corporations (including big oil and those part of the military complex), but God forbid helping families and children.
I can tell you why: we are behind career wise due to job gate keeping , low wages, cost of living surpasses what we make, debt from going to school to get said job, 2 economic collapses, kids are way more expensive then pets. I think having kids while I struggle is just plain irresponsible because that's what we are supposed to be right? responsible?
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.
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.
5:00 I am begging you to actually READ the USDA report so you can see how ridiculously off the mark it is. They make all kinds of spending assumptions that are totally unnecessary and don't reflect reality. My source is that I have kids and they absolutely do NOT cost $14k/year. Not even close.
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...
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.
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.
"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.
then go pay them a place. Torture... 😂 You are the ridiculous kind of people easily fooled into buying any new bullshit trend to feel better about yourself... the butt of the joke in this video.
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.
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.
Same situation in my developing country as well. As someone who is quite young, I have also seen a drastic growth in dog population in my region over the past 3 to 5 years. Although I think the pandemic also played a huge part in it as you can guess.
@@HSfox dogs aren’t the only pets though. At least compared to the other common pets, they are the one most likely to cause an issue. People have humanized them too much and this disregard any problems that may arise.
I made the choice NOT to have kids over 35 years ago (Gen X here - Thanks for completely ignoring us - jerk) and I have had dogs ever since. It was THE best decision I ever made.
Wow so you will leave no legacy . No one to inherit all what you worked for on this earth. Have you thought about what happens when you get old and you don’t have any kids to check in on you
@@c.f.okonta8815 -- That is Sooo Hollywood - I know SO many people that do NOT care for their 'Family'' - "Kids checking in" ?!!? Seriously ? What kind of Dr. Seuss type Utopian fantasy do you hope for in your life anyway ? No thanks- I'll use the money I saved from NOT having kids (about$300,000) and hire a group of private Nurses to take care of me.
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?
Your mom would definitely need to have the luxury of providing childcare - that would make up for most of the gap, if you're fortunate enough to EBF and have the means to cloth diaper (access to a washer).
What's your most recent Google search, veterinarian or pediatrician?
Remember to check Ahrefs out and improve your website's performance ---> youtube.slidebean.com/ahrefs-pets
Neither. It's almost always pc hardware that I look up.
Vet, but my children are grown and I live in a different country than they do, so no need/use for a pediatrician
Neither I don't use Google 😂
I'm not surprised you don't like cats, you talk like prey. They probably try to take a chunk of you.
But seriously, all people like you tell me when you say that you don't like cats? You want control, unearned and unconditional love from moment one and you want unfettered touching of your pet without needing to wait for consent.
In short, it tells me you're an asshole.
Cats will not let just anyone touch them. They will constantly check to see if you're worthy. They give or rescind consent by their choice. Some humans aren't mature enough to stand that.
And I think dog people are just jealous that cats are the number one pet in the world. 😻
@@playfulpanthress Who are you talking to?
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.
It's so ridiculous. Children in plenty of other developed countries do just fine on their own, whether it's going to or from school or just being left alone at home.
It's like it's just the US that thinks kids can't have any independence whatsoever.
Yeah, and being developed, everyone has a smart phone so we've become a nanny state where people will take a video of you if they think you're doing something 'wrong' and that can have real consequences for your life, I am amazed by the ppl who are raising kids now and working full time!
Nobody is going to reverse the trend though. Everybody complains about the more and more individualistic society, everybody complains about children not being able to play and explore and gain life experience autonomously, as in the past, yet, no government was able to infuse again a developed country with more community spirit. It seems like the trends have rules of their own and change our society without us noticing. Maybe urbanization and modern corporate structure is the issue. People don’t have a community and help each other anymore, they serve as workers to a few powerful monopolies, meanwhile believing that they are free individuals, and equating life satisfaction with extreme consumption.
or they set the house on fire
@@Riorozenthe economy doesn't care about individuals or you creating a community. A corporations purpose is to extract as much wealth as possible from it's consumers while paying it's workers as little as possible. Don't worry about your fire arms. The NRA won't let anyone touch your guns.
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?
your whole bloodline , from the cave dwellers to ac room enjoyer
Have you considered people of the past were garbage, you only want a child for the sake of your bloodline? I’m sure they’ll be fine…
@@wecantcontroltimeincorrect
Dead people like ancient cave dwellers do not care what people living do or don’t do. Why are you suggesting that dead people have feelings? That is not logical and it’s not correct.
Its selfish to all the corporations that you are denying them their future workforce.
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 :)
More like a Leftist strategy to stay away feom responisbilities and live a hedonistic lifestyle.
We've been worrying about AI this whole time, turns out the overlords are them pets . 6,969 iq move right there.
mind=blown
But they won’t be since they’re all neutered. We’re stopping evolution by neutering the pets
I, for one, welcome our new dog overlords.
I have cat and it only cost me around
❤❤
Mine is the same. He had at least two homes before mine and I like to think this is his happiest. He loves to be near me and in the morning he has this special meow to get me to come to the kitchten and watch him eat. It's sweet, but I wish he would let me sleep.
Reow.
"Even through i dont enjoy my life very much..." There is much more to your life than your job and a cat that needs addressing. On another note, for your cat's sake, if you are gone for long hours, get another cat. Cats are social animals. Why do you feel it is alright to isolate a cat that much during the day? Cats do sleep alot, but they also do that when bored. I feel for your cat.
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
It is really sad.
Wow, after decades of doing that, the many stories you won't be able to tell when you are old.
@@stefanostokatlidis4861 why? you can still have friends and live a more fulfilling life. Kids are not a guarantee for happiness.
@@calvinsmyth you'll have better stories, by not having kids or attachments you are able to travel and spend time with friends, make your own dreams come true.
That will be a lot of stories :D don't hate
@@HSfox nothing is a guarantee for happiness, but most people say that children give them a higher sense of purpose in life. Where are all those friends you talk about? Urban Americans don’t have real friends, most of those modern people are jumping from opportunity to opportunity and don’t give any much value in relationships. reproduction is natural. Animals don’t reproduce in extremely overcrowded and confined environments, just like in the modern West.
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.
@@superresistant0
Okay, but the people you're thinking about are usually miserable, living in drug and/or crime infested areas and/or willing to literally risk death just to escape. Why would anyone want to bring a child into that? Yes, let me just birth a child who will die of black lung or be sold off to a rich p*do at age eight, how very selfless.
I have lived long enough to know the world will TAKE every iota of energy it thinks you have to give. So this will never change. Ever. The pressure will never be off.
Youll need to make the selfless and long term decision to pick up a burden because you want to and not because it is easy DESPITE those things. Then youll find, after a while, that the world is taking less energy from you. Not because it is nicer. Nono. Its because it CANT get any more out. Youll have less to give, so it will get less. You will always be tired.
BUT.
Knowing that will allow you to enjoy every day without guilt. Thats a gift.
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.
Seriously. My sister had a traumatic birthing experience (of course she downplayed the entire thing). She had The WORST NEWBORN up until a year ever. My niece did not take naps. She still doesn’t take naps. To sleep my sister had to sleep in bed with my niece with holding the passy in her mouth for the first 8months. Again. She didn’t tell me this. So I was shocked when I asked if she was going to have another one, and she said “oh hell no!” So once I found out, I don’t blame you!!
I used to hear "when you have kids" when I was a kid.
That's why I got a vasectomy.
He said his partner, what does that mean?
that's not selfish though
(forcing someone to come into the world so they can be your punching bag for all the emotional trauma you haven't dealt with IS selfish though...and probably over half of parents are in that boat)
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.
Best comment ever!
Kids are freaking expensive. College already put you $150,000 in debt, so why are you digging yourself into a deeper financial hole? Duh, don't have kids. Why are people calling others selfish for minding their life decisions properly?
@@gaillewis5472 It's ret@rded to say that being child free is selfish. Who does it hurt? The kids you're never going to have?
@@PennyWise-eu9nzThere is no positive endgame to your proposed scenario. Things will only continue to go downhill as our dead-end societal structures break down more and more; creating sentient life to uphold our mess is not prudent. The prudent course of action is to get ourselves in order first, and then consider bringing new life into the world.
Creating new life doesn’t solve any problem it doesn’t create in the first place.
@@PennyWise-eu9nzChina's one child policy, overworking their people for low pay, and overcontrolling the population lead to low birth rates. Why would anyone want to have kids when you work 360 days a year to hardly survive, live in a dictatorship, and have almost no prospects or hope for the future yourself?
Having kids has become a luxury, and I think as a species... this is utterly sad.
I don’t know about that I kind of just got girls pregnant and everything turned out fine.
It's because as the quality of living rises, parents think they will raise some drug addict thug if they don't take their kid to a fancy highschool, an ivy League school, feed them organic farm to table food, have them play exotic sports and have a 6 bedroom house when most people now have 1 kid as a family, 2 if they are a big family. Most of these people did not grow up in such wealth and turned out fine, great in some cases. That is the real issue.
@Willis Sudweeks That’s why they specified as a _species_ and not “as that one person Willis Sudweeks“.
@@b1ff Well the rest of the species who hasn’t tried it wouldn’t know until they did.
In the grand scheme of things it's always been a luxury having kids, but we as a species ignored the facts. We'd reproduce and think about the consequences later. We as a species seem to be more aware of it now than we ever were.
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.
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.
I’m with you on this. As someone who raised younger siblings, I’m good with kids. Great even, everyone tells me I’d make a great parent. I just don’t want them, not after raising that many siblings and knowing how much work goes into it. I just want to enjoy my life.
For the sake of argument, unless one is asexual, every time one feels horny and wants to have sex, it is essentially our baser instincts wanting to procreate. However, our cerebral hemispheres have evolved some degree of self-control and developed contraceptives to prevent pregnancies after sex.
@@Randi-h5q Your premise isn't really true. Sex drive is not an instinct to procreate; it's instinctual pleasure-seeking. Natural selection just happened to work out such that (most) actions involved in procreation (mostly) cause us pleasure, because all of us alive today are results of people happening to end up choosing actions that led to reproduction. There may be some innate drives in some people to reproduce, but that's more likely attributable to cultural conditioning than anything in our basic innate brain operations. There is just an innate instinct to try things that seem likely to be pleasurable, to repeat pleasurable acts, and generally avoid painful experiences (when we can/know how to).
You have to recognize: Thousands of humans lived to create you. Your ancestors go back to the creation of life itself. DNA is our basecode and our only pupose in life seems to live and move on. If you end your bloodline with you, you proof to nature that your DNA is not worth of reproduction and moving on. End life is nothing positive. What if you have one stupid kid and 10000 years later his bloodline will create the one who develops interstellar travel and heals cancer? Safe billions of life and the entire human race. Now you are there: Nope, I want a dog instead of a kid. Its kind of a disrespect to your whole bloodline to just end it. I hope you have brothers, sisters, uncels and aunts to not let you end their bloodline complete.
Imagine the stupid fish who started walking on land though: kids? nah, to much effort. I want a pet.
Entire species would have never existed. Thats pretty sad.
I hate caring for others. I couldn't give up sleeping long to change stinky diapers.
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
But ... But ... Who's gonna take care of you in old age .... ME! By saving enough money and trying to be healthy enough. Being overstressed and without money is a considerable aging accelerant. Having kids and ruining your relationships and credit score in order to gamble on your children's future as a caretaker?
Very elitist and materialistic
hm. i get ur point. on the other hand, it is still better now then ever before in history - imagine people had always this opinion to just have kids if they would have all the best in their lives.. we would been gone by now. ... but i totaly get it, kinda feel the same, kinda want to have at least one child, even as a single(dad) i would love to love.
@@azmodanpc You are going to die alone in a care home.
As someone without kids or pets, this whole conversation is wild
You do you. I'm single and it was really lonely in the house for me when I was between cats. I remember getting home from work and noticing how dark it was. Cats changed that. They kept me company during the bad times.
I 100% agree.. but either way you can’t have self and kids at the same time.
Whether you make enough money or not, you have to give yourself to the kids you birth.
@@Alverant I got roommates instead
Only people who doesn't know how to deal with loneliness, solitude, is screaming out here. They don't want be alone and be obbligated to be with themselves and their issues. People who needs an emotional stick to lean on always want a kid or a pet in order to not think about their turbulent emotional life. Let me say one thing: capitalism reduces everything to money, kids and pets spend all of it. You have to save money in order to live, pay bills, buy a house, pay medical services, buy food, clothes, shoes, medicines. Many of us millennials are struggling with late college, or coming back to graduate in a second course.
Yeah, it seems like some people enjoy surrounding themselves with unnecessary drama. lol
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.
Religion and the rising amount of incels in this world, are some of the reasons that makes me consider being child free forever.
@@elin_ nah, almost naked women on the street, naked women on the internet, constant inflation on housing and education, stagnant wages, the constant need of printing/borrowing money to keep the economy going at all. these are the real reason why people dont want to have kids. my reason at least
@@schmooplesthesecond5997same
@@elin_facts
@@schmooplesthesecond5997 What xD there are no naked women anywhere in the public, because its illegal being naked in public.. stop with your muslim misogynist thoughts.
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.
35 (middle millennial) and no kids for us.
Two adults cant afford kids, really? No, you two fell for the okey doke. You're a weak generation. Let us conservative make it happen.
@@home4life505 my husband and I could not comfortably afford to have kids because that would mean either paying for daycare or losing an income and no it takes both of us to go ahead and pay for all of our bills.
You obviously have no idea about the economy and about any of this discussion here because you've obviously been incredibly privileged.
Conservatives are the ones that have screwed us over in the first place because conservatives want to allow businesses to just screw over their employees and not actually pay the employees a fair wage. Wages are remains stagnant and we make 20% less then are boomers did at our same ages because we have not continued to increase wages because of conservatives being so greedy and wanting to ensure that they get top payouts on their stalks so they're going to go ahead and cater to all of those businesses instead of actually caring about the American people who have not had wages increase in decades.
@BWAGREES
"You aren't entitled to other people's resources." Isn't that the conservative belief? The reason you don't believe in taxes or a minimum wage?
@@home4life505yes, if you bag barely afford your rent you can’t afford kids. Doesn’t take a genius to realize that and has nothing to do with anyone falling for something
There is another acronym:
DINKWAD: Double Income No Kids, With A Dog
Who cares if you have a dog...you life is sad dude.
@@toniomz1205 What's your definition and criteria for what's considered to be sad? Who is it sad to? Sad to you? If the commenter reads your reply and decides to have kids because of the fear of appearing sad towards others, wouldn't that cause the commenter to potentially develop an unhealthy family or raise a child in an unideal condition? If that's the case, in my opinion I think it'll be more sad for you if you ended up pressuring someone into having a child they don't want or is ready to take care of but that's just based on my criterias for what's perceived to be a sad outcome 🤔
@@computerconcepts3352 dude dont over think...its sad because nobody cares if you have a pet the guy put DINKWAD like its important its not! Pet are not kids, pet are not your family legacy, pets are not important to society, kids are. The people obsessed with dogs/cats they like too much the master - slave relationship thats all.
@@toniomz1205Good Point! The obsession with pets can be quite weird.
@@toniomz1205 love how you think missing out on sleep each night, spending thousands of dollars each year on whiny brats, and having lifelong stress of being a parent is a positive thing. 😂🤣
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.
😂😂 our parents literally ruined it for us with their terrible behavior.
If you have chickens, I hope you don't live near me. Some people nearby have chickens and a rooster that crows constantly. I want to go over there with my cast iron skillet and take care of the problem once and for all.
Plenty of eggs and buffalo wings to eat and sell! Lucky!😊
Hell yeah to the army of chickens 😀
Riiiiight, make decisions about your life based upon how others have run their lives. That sounds like what a smart, individually-minded person would do...NOT.
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.
I am so sorry. I feel you, so many of us are watching all our bills just go up and up and see no end in sight. ❤
Hang in there, you're in my prayers
I think you are being a drama queen. Good thing the docs said no. You’d have regretted that at 30.
@@willissudweeks105035 and still no kids. Don't regret a thing. Stop pretending that you know people better than they know themselves
My engagement ring cost $25 and my wedding ring cost $35. Diamonds are overrated and you don't have to have a ring with a stone. I just have a tungsten carbide band with no stone because in reality it's going to get damaged with everyday life. Let him get you a ring and tell him to get something super simple
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
@calvinsmyth a lot of people don't.... welcome to the real world.
@@calvinsmyth they are, but many people don't and they should not have kids
Same here. 3 kids, getting divorced due to finding out my spouse's secret life. I can afford 3 kids on my salary but my life is going to be tough the next 16 yrs
I salute you Ma'am
This is a cost that a lot of people fail to acknowledge. The investment of time and energy into another person takes away from ur own personal time.
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.
Young ppl: be productive with kids
Many years later: Uhm, I'm overworked to death so I'm not going home for a while. Love you mom/dad😘
Old ppl: Die alone
(Other alternative)
Old ppl: Ahhh! Cats eat my face!!!
Young ppl: Well, at least you're not alone...
Parents have been saying that for years but that didn't stop the greatest generation from having seven kids. Boomers had fewer kids because that was the start of the self indulgent explosion of wealth and greaterr itnerest in money and luxory than family.
@@superresistant0 No
@@superresistant0well technically, even if you have kids, it does not mean they will actually take care of you in old age. I know an older person with cancer, still working full time on his company, supporting his adult kids because they can’t support themselves since they’re hooked on drugs and don’t want to go to rehab. He pays for their rent, bills, car, food, etc etc and he probably will until he dies
@@superresistant0 Alternative: live 10 years longer and then die to death. Why would that be so much better?
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. 🤷🏾♀
If you pick the right partner, why would you expect to be a single mother? As to the sh*t Obama economy crash in 2008, join the millions of others who suffered, too. It didn't happen to just you.
It's nice to see people being responsible about such things. Everyone believes they have a right to have children just because they can (which is absolutely debatable, but because of the disgusting history of forced sterilizations it's generally a taboo topic). Unfortunately, that leaves mostly just the irresponsible or rich to have kids.
There was a 60 minutes report about this one woman who ended up having 5 kids even though the first two had a genetic disorder (only time will tell if it will affect the others too apparently), and guess what? She couldn't afford their treatment + raising 3 other kids and was fishing for money! Why did you have more then?
This other woman had a kid with a genetic condition and then birthed another one in the HOPES that it would be a match for an organ transplant for the 1st one. What if that kid gets it too?! Is anyone discussing the ethics of a child being born for spare parts?
@@calvinsmythshe never said it happened to just her wtf are you on about? Also, "picking the right one" is something a niave person who's not lived a hard life says.
@@calvinsmyth We were all in the same storm but guess what, just because it's the same storm, doesn't mean that everyone is on the same boat, building, vehicle, etc. Everyone has their unique experiences and perception. Plus, 2008 wasn't the only time that our economy has crashed. There has been multiple times since then.
There’s always adoption, but whatever is that you want to be (servant of cats, the parent that stepped up, and so on), I hope it makes you happy 😊
Being told you're selfish by choosing not to have children, by a man who chose not to have children.. 😅
Well, he chose not to have more children, but yeah. it's pretty much the same thing.
The pope is such a hypocrite on this. But it's crazy overall how relevant religion still is nowadays.
Extremely powerful people who don't share the power we allow them to have telling us we are selfish. Ok.
@goduxunike it's scary that abrahamic religions still are so big.
All religions are based in mysoginy and male worshipping. Let them die alone!
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.
Can I use this whole paragraph? Well put
I mostly agree with you, except I wouldn't necessarily say it's selfish to have kids today. It honestly depends on a parent's situation.
Give the 20-40 year demographic more money and a four day work week and maybe we'll consider having more kids.
🤣 Only a millenial would ask something from others in order to do something so personal as procreate. Why would you ask for any involvement from employers (work hrs. & pay) for something that you would in turn be willing to do in your own bedroom? You making your sexy time, in ANY way, dependent on what your employer will do for you is hilarious.
Well society IS actively asking millennials for things as personal as procreation. As long as the government and society finds it appropriate to infiltrate our bedrooms with constant reminders to procreate, constant insolent questions about our marital status and biological fertility, constant shaming of women for choosing not to have children and simultaneously punishing them for actually having children (did you know that young women in committed relationships are often refused a job position because they might get pregnant soon and it is unprofitable to hire them?), I think it’s more than fair to ask for compensation. You don’t want to pay for someone’s baby? Quit complaining that they aren’t having this baby. Only a boomer would so entitled to someone else’s body, time, and finances.
@@calvinsmyth People shouldn't be having kids if a. They can't afford them and b. They don't have the time to take care of them. Productivety has gone way up but wages remain stagnant, that's not Millennials fault, that's corporate greed. People won't have kids if they are broke and tired, so yes it is the government's job to improve our lives if they want more babies being born.
More money for less work? Yeah, tell us all how that ends up working for you...
Typical Millennial speak. More for less "because reasons".
@@BigDaddyJinx In an age of automation that would be the best outcome. Get with the times.
ETA: Millennials work more for less money, that's not sustainable.
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.
not selfish at all. you are thinking ahead just like any sane and responsible person should do. if you know your situation is not optimal or even close to "decent" then it is a wise choice to not bring a child into it. people who enforce "you should have a child" are the selfish ones. it's your life, live it as you see fit.
You both sound nice.
Some observations of my life:
- The world always takes as much energy as it can give. People with no kids are as busy as people with kids because the world *always takes as much energy as people can give* .
- We are being socially engineered to not have children by giving our consciousness aka the energy management algorithm that runs us the power to decide if we have kids. Something the body had a veto button for for millions of years. A huge source of our anxiety and depression is our body and consciousness realizing something is wrong, but not knowing what it is. Like a bird with its wings clipped, we know something is wrong but dont have the capacity to nail it down. So were just sad.
- As long as you arnt having kids to escape from problems, and you plan to love them, you cant go that wrong. Speaking from experience as a child who had messed up parents.
It sounds like you would be nice parents, but I get the whole stress thing. So maybe some of those ideas are decent food for thought for you. Good luck.
I'm older Gen Z. I'm very light weight and I totally refuse to go through the risks of a pregnancy and childbirth. Plus the draining stages of newborns and toddlers. If I ever want to be a mother when I'm older, I will adopt an older child who is already here. I don't get the obsession with reproducing.
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!
Pets are not more fulfilling than children lol there’s no way to study that anyways you sir are incredibly silly
@@willissudweeks1050that's just your opinion dude. Kids would not be fulfilling to me
@@UlexiteTVStoneLexite You’d have to have both to know lol
@@willissudweeks1050 wow you're not a very competent person are you? Do you have to shoot yourself in the leg to know that bullets are painful or can you just watch idiots do that and learn from their experience?
@@willissudweeks1050pets are wayyyy more fulfilling than children
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.
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.
Not to mention buying them new toys now and then.
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.
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.
Yes!!! Thank you!
Exactly and even in the developing world, you still can’t afford kids, even more so
@@aquaabouttogetfunky Yeah, it's all marketing, everyone is told the US is the best country in the world but then we do things that would be the same as poor countries, just with a shiny image. Sure it's definitely better than being super poor, but then again being a step up from poverty sometimes doesn't feel good enough for people to have kids.
@@aquaabouttogetfunky tho in the developing world often the kids start working much earlier & they marry off the daughters as soon as they can.
That won’t do anything. Nordic countries have amazing social safety nets, but their birth rate is still as low as America’s.
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.
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?
True, that is a risk. But I believe it’s wrong to frame children as an “investment” that will take care of you when you grow too frail to do that yourseld. That’s how you end up in the senior home.
Also, wdym nobody? Sounds like a perfect opportunity for some nursing jobs.
@@superresistant0 if that was the absolute case, there would be no nursing homes... or assisted living centers. There will always be people who don't mind getting paid to work in nursing homes, but you may be blown away by the amount of people who have parents in nursing homes that they rarely visit. If I had kids, by the time I was old enough to need that kind of care, they'd be old enough that they could not physically take care of me, and in reality, they would probably still need to work to counter the cost of living and health insurance. Besides, if you build proper relationships, which you should do even if you have kids, you won't be alone.
@@superresistant0 It's already too late. Too many people can't afford kids and won't have them. What happens when Millenials and Gen Z get old, happens. Too bad. Our dear, very intelligent leaders decided society's fate.
@@superresistant0yes
@@superresistant0 - What if your child marries someone from a foreign country and moves there? What if your child has special needs and YOU need to take care of it until you are old? A child is not a good retirement plan.
It's a no brainer. Also, many people were not loved and valued by their own parents due to economic pressures
Riiiight. However you grew up is exactly how you'll remain throughout your entire life. You will never be able to break the chains of your upbringing. Even a rock, is less stagnant than that.
@@calvinsmythdef harder to change if they get the same economic pressures or worse. I can't even get my own place yet with my income and I'm 25 this year. I'm not adding a kid to that.
And those kids heard them rant about how much of a burden they were…
Then people are surprised when they don’t want kids either 🙄
Facts. Its annoying
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.
How do you dogs benefit you, and why don't you think that applies to a kid?
@Psychodegu I don't know that they benefit me, though. They're just good company and help me stay active. What I meant to say is I don't see the point in spending 18 years working to raise a child for zero financial benefits to me.
@@antonSugar How many activities does it even sound reasonable to do only if it financially benefits you? Only a few specific activities are done solely for financial gain. It just seems like your analyzing aspects of your life using categorical errors.
@Psychodegu I mean, the video does focus on people's bad financial situation as a big reason why they aren't having children. I simply prefer spending those resources on other enjoyable activities.
@@antonSugar I mean if your in a bad financial situation buying a dog seems like a pretty dumb thing to do too. What you are really saying is you like dogs more then having your own kid. The money stuff is a red herring, as far as I can tell.
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.
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.
Same boat
@@zoomer-express yeah the fellow owl house amity icon gave that away lmao
I agree, but in the end, the parents do the most work. We built our society to blame parents instead of blaming the community
☝️This is an important point that not enough people talk about. There's a school of thought that theorizes that indeed gay people have persisted throughout history despite this up until recently creating evolutionary "dead ends," so to speak, because it is beneficial for communities to have people who help raise children but have no children of their own. So for example, a woman without children may help care for the children of other women, and men without children help hunt more food for the community and defend them without adding another mouth to feed. It is kind of a sister theory of the grandmother hypothesis which presents a theory as to why human women - as well as a couple of other species with high-maintenance offspring, such as killer whales - go through menopause.
@@nuance9000To be fair, this is primarily an issue with the nuclear family. Grandparents and childless aunts used to provide much more direct support to children than they do now. If you were a mother who theoretically spent all day with your fellow female tribe members, for example, I'd imagine the lines could get quite blurred at times as to who is watching the kids at any given time. Even women breastfeeding one another's children is not that uncommon in tribes in the modern day.
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?
lol just change your mindset and have kids
Having kids imo is selfish. You think you deserve a kid just cause you want one? You think your genes should live on? Why? Why are you so special you get to make another one of you? You cant afford a kid? Oh so you just wanna take advantage of welfare to raise them? (Its ok if its an accident)
I agree with much of what you have said.
However, the issue I have with that take, is that it does actually harm other people. When the population pyramid is inverted and there are more elderly than young, everyone suffers. The elderly would suffer because there is less young to help take care of them and the young suffer because there is are too many elderly to support. I forsee in the coming decades an age of social and economic unrest. If there are less young workers to support taxes, then the government would either increase taxes (further making it hard to be young) or ignore the elderly (reject the concept of retirement and medical care for the elderly). It is selfish to not see the big picture and realize that because of the lack of child bearing, the infrastructure will collapse along with the population and the quality of life will go down because of that. Pretending to think that 10 or 20 years down the line will be like it is now where you can even afford pets will be ridiculous. Pets are great companions but they are not substitutes for children who can actually take care of you when you get older.
What needs to happen is that the family structure needs to be rethinked. The nuclear family is obsolete so it must be replaced by the traditional system in which large families all live together. This allows community and closeness between each other as well as an importance in serving the community rather than simply living for ourselves. This beings meaning to our lives and is good for society as it brings back the chance to find love and have a family within the community.
Our system disregards community in favor of artificial community in the workplace. But that does not foster bearing kids but only pursuing money and materialistic pleasures.
We need to bring back the roots of community because fellowship and place of being a part of a greater whole is what many people truly want. Not simply another cog in a machine. Kids are a blessing even if some may think them as nothing more than hindrances to their achievement of personal pleasures.
@@ElCampeador99 The answer is not shaming people who don’t want kids into having them. Current figures put the number of Millennials who may never have kids at 20%. The answer is in making it easier for the 80% of people who do want kids to have them, have more of them, be able to afford them and raise them in good health, etc. Nobody should have more ownership over my body than me-that’s just fascism. But altruism would be, like you said, building communities that support families so that people can actually have them without risking poverty, job loss, medical bankruptcy, or being trapped in abusive marriages.
@@rixatrix yes you're right it is not okay to force people to have child to have and not have child is a personal choice
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.
I agree. We should just say "the hell with it" and start building houses ourselves in the woods like the pioneers and settler days. They didn't have to deal with mortgages: they just built wherever sounded good to do so.
What if we started doing that on federal land or unused state owned land? Who would stop you?
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.
Or I can do whatever I want with my money and be happy
@@UlexiteTVStoneLexiteThere will be less expensive ways to do so than whatever campaign pushes you to do so. Traditional marketplaces and small restaurants rarely have the money to advertise themselves but can offer an experience of equal if not greater value than the big stores. Delayed spending, nay, delayed gratification is one of the most valuable skills one can cultivate
@@danielchan1668 or again, I can do whatever I want to do with my own money. Do you just have nothing better to do then to try to control other people?
@@UlexiteTVStoneLexiteagreed. Personally i am wanna try iPhone 11 pro though my parents don't think its needed thing. I just want to try it i never had iPhone in my life only Androids
@@godofdeath8785 I would never own an Apple product. I only ever have Android phones. Apple phones are needlessly expensive and you're just paying for the brand name
Daycare starts at $800 a month, sometimes is difficult to pay with 2 adults working full time jobs.
Daycare workers still get payed sht
It depends there is one near me that’s 150$ a month
I know this is a hot debate, but I honestly think the move is for one parent to stay home. Even if daycare is a little less than one income, you're still screwed when the kid is constantly sick, there are holidays, no ability to take OT, etc. You might as well have one parent completely flexible and enjoy that time with your kids while you get it. They can go in daycare for a year before pre-K, as it's very good for them socially, and the other parent is only out of the workforce for two-three years, which is not as large of a set back as people make it out to be. And twenty years later, you're not honestly going to wish you'd given up that time to avoid a gap in your resume, unless you literally prefer to work. It's each individual's desires and values (if they're privileged enough to choose ofc), but I don't like people arguing that SAHM is less responsible for the family's long term goals
@@dirtyprancing5930 the problem is who gets to keep working? And can the homemaker keep their hand in it enough to go back once the kids go to school
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
I'm always irritated by this "not having kids is selfish" argument. "Selfish" means considering your own needs to the exclusion of others'. Who would be the "other" in this equation? You don't *owe* a set number of children to anyone, so there's no justification whatsoever for pressuring people to have children they don't want.
I’ve seen quite a few job listings recently with “pet insurance” listed as one of the perks. Now I know why…
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.
@@aig5429 Good for you buddy, do you need a prize or something for that unnecessary flex?
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 agree. So few cities have walkability and the constant paranoia in the US is just toxic and stifles childrens independence.
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.
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.
This is exactly how I feel too. If you can't afford to take care of a child (whether that's financially, mentally, or otherwise) you _shouldn't_ have them. To not have children if you know you can't support them and give them the life and love they deserve is the _opposite_ of being selfish.
I'm 28 years old & one of the reasons my ex and I broke up was because he probably wanted to have kids at some point, whilst I've become more and more certain that I don't. I have many beautiful plants that I care for and I would LOVE to adopt a (few) cat(s) once I can afford it & move out of this post stamp of an apartment 🤗
So sad.
@@michaelpatrick6984nah
@michaelpatrick6984 millennials like to forget they're gonna get old and want the government to look after them. Without a younger replacement whose gonna be footing the bill for our pensions. Pet ain't gonna work or look after your old age.
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.
You seem pretty cool to me haha
Can you properly care for children with your personality quirks?
It's not only the lack of partner. You won't live isolated with kids and partner. Your kids will force you to interact with others like doctors and teachers.
Not all people can/should be parents. That is ok.
I have a aspberger’s, pretty severe - and I just met my first partner at 25. Don’t give up.
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.
As a person who has rescued and trained dogs for over 20 years I can assure you that most people aren't spending that kind of money on their dogs. People typically just want good family dogs that aren't aggressive, can walk on a leash and not poop and chew up the house.
I bought pet insurance but am very worried I'm contributing to the same cost bloat that human healthcare is experiencing. Where on day, pet insurance won't be an actual choice
I bet you wouldn't have these costs if you had decided to get a small dog like a dachshund, Shih Tzu, cocker spaniel, beagle, Yorkshire terrier etc. You have a very high maintenance dog, but this is not the case for other breeds.
@@rebeccaa.3121 Oh, yeah I would because I would pay the same amount of money to train the dog. And given that my dog just went through paw surgery and cancer treatments... well, thank god I had pet insurance. My kid had a beagle as an adult, and I had a cocker spaniel growing up. Just watch AKC competitions. Those dogs are high maintenance.
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
This!! I'm not even crazy about my job, but I need the money!
If all women left the job market that really wanted to, it would create a mass shortage of workers which would make employers have more demand for the remaining employee pool theoretically. This happened somewhat during lockdown.
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.
This is so interesting. I always wondered why adults in first world countries are preferring pets over kids
Mad. Not even joking. Westerners have deep issues. Do not emulate in any way. They're all a mess. Look at all the therapy needs.
Fear and selfishness
@@Qrischun Watch the video, it's not your grand daddys era where the only modern economy was the US while the rest of the world was in ruins so a man with a high school education could live a life that by modern standards requires that same man to have Masters degree to live like your grandfather did.
@@Qrischun Parents have kids to fulfil their selfish needs, then spend a lifetime in fear for their children's wellbeing 🤦
@@Qrischun fear and selfishness is why people are having kids actually 😂 how funny
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.
They’ve been doing that for awhile. It was mandatory when I was back in 8th grade, which was back in 08’ usually happens in rough neighborhoods
When I talk to teachers who work in those spaces, the overwhelming impression is "This is a prison with no guards"
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....
Sure, everything goes well, until the natural resources run out.
Is your country Rawanda?
That's an excellent point. We have a tendency to assume decline = bad, but that's just not always considering the full picture. In these cases, it's all very positive. In first world countries, there's a concern about long term stability, but it doesn't necessarily mean we have to correct it. Heck, the government seems happy enough making up the gap through immigration of workforce ready humans vs investing more in 18 year minimum to workforce growth projects.
How can you hate cats?! They're such sweeties
a lot of studies have been done on this. people who hate cats either 1. were scratched by a cat in their youth (very normal) or 2. they have control issues and don’t feel comfortable with an animal that doesn’t take direct commands (red flag)
Cats >>>>> dogs
Yeah, seriously, that was *so* gratuitous.
@@bonnielovely It's also that people keep trying to treat cats as if they are dogs. They expect cats to respond the same way a dog does and then get upset when the cat doesn't show affection in the way they want it. Dogs try to learn human communication skills, cats teach humans their special forms of communication. People who dislike cats or consider them to be mean just aren't making an effort to understand each individual cat because they're used to dogs having a universal language.
My cat is deaf and still comes when commanded.
As an Elder millennial myself, I've never wanted kids, I would get asked by my friends in highschool how many I wanted and I always said zero while they would say "I want 3 or 4", it also doesn't help that I live in a country where having kids is the norm (Mexico) and it's looked down upon if you don't have them. Raising kids here is not as expensive as in the US but it's still expensive by mexican standards, so being a childfree woman in this country was seen a strange, but a lot of my friends are also childfree and those that escaped being baby trapped in school are now reaping the fruits of our non labor.
We are the few that live comfortably without any real responsibilities other than paying rent and bills, so we take to having pets because that's what we always wanted as children and often times we were told "no" because our parents didn't want them or couldn't afford them.
Reason #1 people don't have kids, selfishness. Like this person. Read the comments and 99% people who dont have kids are "me, me, me" lol
@@Qrischun Oh please, ask anybody that had kids why they had them and they will always say "I WANTED TO" anything that has to do with one's own desires is by itself selfish, I'm not denying anybody anything, I'm not affecting anybody other than myself with my decision to not have children, you on the other hand affect the world with a much higher carbon footprint.
STFU.
@@Qrischun how is not having kids more selfish than brining kids into the world for your own fulfillment?
@@Qrischun the purple haired karen will always say no to children 🤣
@@Qrischun I can tell you got kids. Mad and bitter cause you have no free time for yourself.🤣🤣
This video completely ignores 'unintentional childlessness' which is the most pertinent reason for this shift 🧐
I agree that needs to be discussed more, especially people who want kids but don't get the chance for various reasons & not just fertility (and/or lack of $$ to get fertility treatments) It'd probably be better covered in another video however, especially by someone that has experienced it.
that is a big factor, but not the most pertinent one
about 15-20% of people are childless even though they want children bc they don’t have a partner or other medical reasons
while the other 80-85% are childfree by choice
i think there needs to be more obvious distinction here though bc “childless” is used when people want(ed) kids and don’t or cannot have them while “childfree” is someone that made a choice purposely to not have kids
@@bonnielovely Right childless is an umbrella term, & I sometimes see people use childfree to mean they dont want bio- kids but are willing to adopt or have step kids. (I think this is an incorrect use but I identify as childLESS not free but since I am not part of that community I'm not going to put energy into arguing over it. It's kind of like how "single/unmarried" covers many people who are in relationships.
@@minngael ooh that makes a lot of sense. it's interesting to see that nuance as well with stepchildren & adoption. i have seen people who experience infertility that put more emphasis on this wording than i do. and as someone that isn't in that community, i don't want to disrespect people that are.
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.
Though in some statesthere isn't much accountability for adoptive parents that ditch children sadly, they sometimes informally "re-home" them which is sketchy AF & can lead to child trafficking & abuse. And there often isn't much accountability towards parents in general that neglect &/or abuse their kids, many people I know that don't want kids were abused. They are worried about continuing that cycle.
@@minngael because nobody wants to take care of that kids if even parents don't want
That's the saddest part of it too. As a child of abuse (from my stepdad) I have a lot of psychological scars that still live with me everyday. I am terrified of getting close to anyone. And when I do find someone I feel safe with I get clingy unfortunately and it drives them away: strengthening my fear of abandonment in relationships. As a result I really can't date anyone because I have come to see relationships as a source of emotional pain: in the end that's all I ever knew anyways. My life now: I'm 36, never had a girlfriend, and I just have shut down that part of my mind that wants a girlfriend as a vestigial fantasy that serves me no usefulness in the real world.
One day I wanted to be a dad someday, but I realized that ain't going to happen.
@@NerdSnipingBatman Man, if you do think like that, you wont have nothing else - how do I know it - I had perfect childhood, but I do tend to feel like you do. However, I am objective enough to know that the world is how you perceive it and that sadly is very hard to change. In the end the most important thing is to feel happy. Don't look what you dont have, look what you have and enjoy these things. Best of wishes.
no one is choosing pets in the place of children.
No one is thinking (almost no one) "ahhh, what i want for my life? a cute dog or a kid?"
People are choosing delay or don't have kids for any reasons, and having or not a pet don't change this decision. On the contrary, people that have a kid or more, may think twice on having a pet, because of the money or just it'll be to much more work. (they already have a kid after all)
if the cost of life were ship, and parents could afford be more at home, the decay would be much less.
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'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.
Exactly I don’t blame u me ether
Any reason is a good reason imo
I don't think there is a stigma today that you mention. I think people should do what they want and not have kids unless they want them. You are certainly not a loser for wanting a different lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that.
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.
Sad seeing the millennial generation opt out for pets. It seems short sighted and sad.
I'm kinda feeling like I'd rather die than not have kids.... and like having them is going to up my game in terms of responsibility.
Average employees don't live comfortably in my country. 3 kids would make it worse.
Well said, there will be excuses and not an "ideal" moment to have kids. They real reason people don't have them but instead have pets and called themselves pet "parents " is basically mental illness.
@@AmandaVieiraMamaesouCult Bankrupt's more like it.
@@toniomz1205 On the one hand you shame people who openly admit they will not have children for whatever reasons they have that they think the shouldn't, but then when you see people who have kids and are struggling you will shame them for having children. Make up your damn minds!
Hard to find a partner whom you would want to raise kids with.
Considering the costs across the board, and what the future holds for us, having a kid seems rather insane these days.
We got no money, we wish to end cycles of generational trauma/pain, we have no stable future, cats are cuuute
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
If you don’t want kids the answer is clear, don’t have them.
@@sdtimelesshard when government republicans have started pushing bills to deny contraception. And women are denied sterilisation by big chunk of doctors
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'm all for adopt don't shop, unless you need a very specific type of dog, and in that case do your research and buy from a responsible breeder.
@@Laz3rCat95 exactly
No, it might be 'common' but it is most certainly not acceptable. Most animals from mills come with severe health and personality quirks, and many are often killed if not sold by a certain age. Problem is, a lot of stores that work with so-called rescues for $$$ animal adoptions are actually working with thinly-disguised mills.
They also import from developing countries claiming that they save them, but they are actually creating an incentive for people there to keep dangerous stray populations high.
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.
@@Madamoizillion If that is the case (which I think it may be, but it is probably less of a problem than poverty among families - or just poverty generally - when we directly compare the two, similar to welfare and the amount of people who actively abuse it vs the amount of people who would become destitute without it), then there are other ways to help parents out, such as government subsidies for childcare, medical care, and/or college. Also, paid parental leave, and more protections for workers would help workplace diversity *and* parents who are employed. Fully breaking the ties between employment and access to affordable healthcare, doing anything to slow or stop climate change, changing the workday to resemble the school day so working parents can limit how much daycare they actually need, student loan debt forgiveness (or at the very least making those loans less predatory i.e. being able to declare bankruptcy and start afresh like you can with any other loan in America) would all make prospective parents more interested in having children because said potential parents would be less likely to be cornered in a bad spot with little kids to think of. There is more than one way to help people, if helping people is what you want to do.
That would be very unfair. It's not ok to ask people who don't have children to support those who do.
Affordable childcare and education and some financial help is ok.
@@paulaqueirosz It'll encourage people to have children and raise children and those who have the children need the money more than people who don't. And we already support many things with taxpayer money that you might not necessarily agree with, I would rather my money go to parents than some unjustified war somewhere. There are much worse things our taxpayer money could go to.
@@LovethosePNWVibes We already do subsidize childcare and have for years. That's what those tax credits are for. Single people literally pay a fortune in taxes to support families. They also have medical care when they can't afford it it's called Medicaid. Also most states have low cost insurance programs for kids if you have higher wages. Anyone can get healthcare and always could through private insurance...I did for years but now it's even subsidized through ACA. School days should be extended not work days decreased because we have the dumbest kids of all time and in the developed world. No one recognized even what benefits that have that has been on the backs of working people for years they only want more. But young adults now aren't wanting to pay for old boomers to retire because 'they haven't done nothing for us'. Ugh with the BS.
The male apes at the tree top are breeding the whole tree while the knuckle draggers are fighting over whatever falls off. Our kind isn't even begin forced to inbreed but here it is...the top or rarely the vary bottom. We deserve this ending, it's fitting
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!
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.
Yes, completely agree. Too many pet owners are not responsible or considerate pet owners.
I mean, it depends on the type of dogs you get. My Chihuahua is happy to sleep almost all day in my house and just needs a short walk. But if you get a husky or a German shepherd. Obviously, you shouldn’t let the dogs all day inside and they’d need more exercise.
a society that humanises pets is a very privileged one. Wealth has grown tremendously in the last 20-30 years, labour saving devices and access to information, goods and services and increased exponentially. In developing countries a lot of people will only have animals to work and they treat them as animals
"Apparentments are bad for dogs" is true. But if it comes to paying $1,000 a month (my half of rent with a roommate) or paying the new prices of $500,000 for a basic house--the later will never be possible in my lifetime.
So in one perspective, people will say that you shouldn't get pets if you don't have the space requirements. But if I waited until I could afford a house, I might never be able to get a dog at all. Owning a pet companion to give someone meaning to ward off depression and anxiety shouldn't have to be a luxury for the rich.
@@EC-jd9ej well there are now a lot of dog breeds and other pets that are suited to apartments. I went to the Gold Coast in Australia where nearly everyone lives in apartments and all the dogs you see are little apartment dogs that don't need huge aounts of exercise. Went to a country town a few hours away and everyone has energetic medium sized dogs that love to run in big backyards
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. 🙌🏻
Responsible doggo mom right here👆🗿
another reason I don't have pets either the vets bills are expensive. I would rather not have a dog.
I dont need to pass my chronic pain on to any children. Especially not in a country that is run by oligarchs, lacks universal health care, parental leave, free (or atleast afforable) higher education, guaranteed sick leave, etc
My extr resources are for my nieces, nephews, and pets.
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!
I feed my Dog human food. I have more faith in it than these over processed dog foods that I don't know where comes from or what's in them. He eats healthy meats, eggs and a few veggies.
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!
America: work 80 hours and sit in traffic for 20 hours every week.
Also America: why you no have kids?
Exactly plus where I live, rent is like $2k a month for a small studio. Employers don’t want to pay more and constantly try to save money. It’s just not possible unless you go into debt
My children definitely don't deserve to be tortured by this world, therefore if I do ever want a kid, I would simply adopt one.
I hate that I relate to this...
Adopted Kid going through 'that' phase: "I didn't _choose_ for me to be born!"
Me "Well... Neither did I technically, but here we are...."
👉 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.
Yup...Yup & Yup. The problem is people are either too lazy to read or don't feel that their dog is really worth it. These are the same people that will shove countless Happy meals down their kids throats without giving any thought to it whatsoever and then need to give gastric bypass for their kid some serious consideration because, for some unknown reason, their kid is HUGE.
Yes!! I cook for my fur baby and research what’s best. I am not just going to give him anything!
Isn't gluconeogenesis specifically metabolism of protein for glucose supply, and generally only occurring under starvation conditions? And ketogenesis is the more usual fat-and-protein-based-diet scenario when there's sufficient caloric supply? Sincere question, it's been a long time since I studied canine nutrition (and I know feline is a whole different story because their physiology is so wildly different from canines) and I've more recently been steeped in human nutrition -- which is not my real strong suit within physiology -- so I could be accidentally overwriting old info in my brain. I'm gonna google it some too but I'm likely to forget what I was doing within a few seconds so figured I'd ask as well since you seem to be hip to the science
royal canin for cats !! expensive but all real ingredients. male cats are WAY more expensive than female cats
most pet food companies won’t even tell you what is in the food, they give a min. or max.
like min 60% fat could be 99.9% fat and
max. 10% protein means it could be 90% byproducts
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.
At this point having a horse is probably cheaper than having a kid (depending on the breed, of course)
How did you not count in pregnancy? It's such a taxing thing on the human body, you can completely loose your health or even die. Not to mention, abortion is being outlawed in many places now, so possibly even if the pregnancy might be fatal, the doctors would still let you die. As someone that was brought to life by a woman with fertility issues and many other illnesses that made the pregnancy worse, not to mention an abortion that was needed (the child died in the womb) I cannot imagine becoming pregnant in this country, in those times. Not to even mention the cost of living, when two people on two salaries can barely afford a rent and some food.
Honestly, choosing to have kids in today's America, you need to be either wealthy or a little crazy! The US is one of 7 countries (on the entire planet) that offer NO paid parental leave. Giving birth alone could land you in ages of medical debt if anything goes remotely wrong, and maternal deaths are shamefully high. Healthcare? Your parents better be wealthy or you and your kid better be invincible. Housing market is insane. Worker rights to help become a homeowner is increasingly getting scrapped. Right-wing politicians are working HARD to make it legal for younger kids to be put to work for longer hours and in previously illegal areas... because that's how determined they are to NOT increasing salaries to livable wages and improve working conditions for the disgruntled workers who no longer want to work these terrible jobs for terrible pay.
One of 7? I have been to Africa, South America and Asia. This claim is wildly false. Way, way more than 7 countries are unable to offer paid parental leave. I have personally been to 6 countries and there was almost no healthcare infrastructure in 5 of them. Employers offering benefits of any kind was unheard of in five. that’s just the 6 Im most familiar with.
@@kacyandlaura Are they supposed to be offering paid parental leave and companies are just iffy about it though?
In any case, the US is (supposed) to be a first world country which generates incredible wealth. There really is no excuse for it to screw over its citizens this way, and be comparable to countries much poorer. Or for its healthcare to even be comparable to countries that can't afford a decent infrastructure. The US has some of the best medical infrastructures, medical specialists and available treatments in the world... IF you are extremely wealthy.
@@kated3165It seems like you may be coming from a mindset of believing the federal government has a lot of money, however we are actually trillions in debt. It’s not that conservatives think that people shouldn’t have time with their kids… it’s just that the money has to come from somewhere. Is it really fair for citizens to be required to pay for the parental leave of other citizens? How would this be fair to reduce the salary of those who are just making ends meet or single people? Sometimes people say to tax the big corporations, but that also adds to inflation. They pass the cost on to consumers and/or employees, so it’s not like we can just get free money out of big companies. Our rich are also heavily taxed too, which is a fact. The money the government has comes from taxes from you and me. Are you willing to personally pay more in taxes from each hard-earned paycheck for the rest of your life so others can have paid parental leave? Genuine question.
I have seen children playing with trash, sick people waiting endlessly in very inadequate hospitals, people who eat cornmeal mush every day and say it’s their favorite food, elderly people who pick through trash for bottles, so that they will have a little money to get by, and a woman in a market cutting the heads off of frogs with a razor blade so that they would be more suitable for cooking. I saw very few companies, just small businesses owned by families. Very vulnerable businesses, unstable and poor. I know not everyone has the privilege of traveling like I have had, I guess National Geographic magazine is probably the next best thing. Maybe you understand how it just doesn’t sit well with me when people talk about America as if we don’t do enough for our citizens. We really do have it well here. I have friends who traveled to a socialist country a decade ago. They said it literally cost them $100 to buy hamburgers and fries for their family of 4. Is that what you want for America?
We have 4 children and the tax exemption child credit we get every year is enormous. We really appreciate it and feel that it helps us make ends meet. We recognize that those who are raising children are investing in the future, that it is costly to do so, and that getting support for it is helpful. I agree that the real estate market is crazy and so is the cost of healthcare.
@@kacyandlaura Your friends traveled to a socialist country? How?? There are literally NO existing socialist country anywhere in the world. None whatsoever. There never has actually been one. Capitalism is the only structure our world is built around. Having some socialist perks in some countries doesn't make them socialist countries... it's still all Capitalism. Even countries who call themselves "communist" are not truly communist at all... its just that their leaders know that word sounds better than "dictatorship".
You know who currently benefits from "socialism" most in the US? Politicians and mega corporations who bribe them. The same people telling you "socialism is evil" are the ones constantly benefiting from the socialism they grant themselves with. Politicians and mega corporations get tax payer money thrown at them left and right... they just don't pay any of it (or pay a few crumbs) and rob you of countless billions in doing so.
Where would money to help American citizens have better lives come from? Tax money. Only problem with that is that currently you have 816.7 BILLION dollars (official) US military budget. This does not account for all the money that the US pours into the military industrial complex in indirect ways. The (direct) official budget alone is, when compared to every other country on the planet, complete insanity. You could cut this by half and STILL surpass every other country on the planet in terms of military spending. Where does most of this money go? Mega corporations. It's certainly not the veterans seeing much of it for sure...
I'm not sure why you are fine with your tax money being endlessly, and near completely, funneled into the pockets of giant corporations (including big oil and those part of the military complex), but God forbid helping families and children.
And this is the real life Boss Baby movie.
This is both interesting and dystopic at the same time.
I can tell you why: we are behind career wise due to job gate keeping , low wages, cost of living surpasses what we make, debt from going to school to get said job, 2 economic collapses, kids are way more expensive then pets. I think having kids while I struggle is just plain irresponsible because that's what we are supposed to be right? responsible?
not everyone gets to reproduce and start a family, its the way it has always been. baby boomer was the exception not the rule
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.
Before I can have kids, I need to find a wife first :*(
And that on its own is expensive 😩
Become the wife?
@@AndrewDasilvaPLT That's a weird way to confess "I am a dismissive and unsympathetic person that no one comes to for help."
@@cwtrain I dunno it kind of made me laugh
Not really.. adopt a kid. :p skip the wife part.
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.
5:00 I am begging you to actually READ the USDA report so you can see how ridiculously off the mark it is. They make all kinds of spending assumptions that are totally unnecessary and don't reflect reality. My source is that I have kids and they absolutely do NOT cost $14k/year. Not even close.
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...
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.
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.
"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.
then go pay them a place. Torture... 😂
You are the ridiculous kind of people easily fooled into buying any new bullshit trend to feel better about yourself... the butt of the joke in this video.
cope
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.
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.
Dogs are overrated, we must somehow reverse that.
Same situation in my developing country as well. As someone who is quite young, I have also seen a drastic growth in dog population in my region over the past 3 to 5 years. Although I think the pandemic also played a huge part in it as you can guess.
@@stefanostokatlidis4861 you're so pressed on this, why are you hurting? Why you hate pets? 🤣🤣🤣🤡
@@HSfox dogs aren’t the only pets though. At least compared to the other common pets, they are the one most likely to cause an issue. People have humanized them too much and this disregard any problems that may arise.
@@stefanostokatlidis4861 says the Greek dude obsessed with reptiles 🤦🏻♂️ gtfo
I made the choice NOT to have kids over 35 years ago (Gen X here - Thanks for completely ignoring us - jerk) and I have had dogs ever since.
It was THE best decision I ever made.
Wow so you will leave no legacy . No one to inherit all what you worked for on this earth. Have you thought about what happens when you get old and you don’t have any kids to check in on you
@@c.f.okonta8815 -- That is Sooo Hollywood - I know SO many people that do NOT care for their 'Family'' - "Kids checking in" ?!!? Seriously ? What kind of Dr. Seuss type Utopian fantasy do you hope for in your life anyway ? No thanks- I'll use the money I saved from NOT having kids (about$300,000) and hire a group of private Nurses to take care of me.
no one gives a fug about us Gen Xers. Millennials this and that- but it was us who grew up watching Sat morn cartoons.
It was _definitely_ THE BEST decision you ever made.
@@SelenaSea -- THAT type of confidence in a statement can ONLY come from someone with experience -- I will gladly yield to your position ~
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?
Your mom would definitely need to have the luxury of providing childcare - that would make up for most of the gap, if you're fortunate enough to EBF and have the means to cloth diaper (access to a washer).
I’m so immature. I wouldn’t wish another child to suffer of what a monster I could be.
Pets are the new kids, plants are the new pets and kids are the new exotic animals 😂