Everywhere you turn, people are making arguments against having children: too expensive, diapers, climate change, career, freedom, and who needs the grief?.
A lot of people are listening. Among women ages 15 to 50, a little less than half are childless in 2023 (Statistica). The birth rate has famously declined since 1957, when there were more than 120 births out of every 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. Today that number has dropped by more than half.
But are there arguments in favor of having children?
Enduring Love: "I made a habit of putting my son on my shirtless chest, I began to feel it: love. It was transcendent, much like the early-days rush I've experienced in other landmark relationships, and it came with similar side effects: the feeling of walking on air, an overriding empathy toward all people and a narcissistic inability to talk about anything else," Micah Toub in Today's Parent.
Fun: "What isn't so often mentioned (about children) is that they are very funny. If I tried to explain … the stories would sound lame. But believe me, I multiplied my laugh rate 10 times more than when I was childless," author Tim Lott, former columnist for The Guardian
Values: "There's a finite amount of control you can have over who your children turn out to be … But any therapist can tell you, you're molding little minds here, so if you want to create more humans you want to be around … you're in the right place," Holly Wainwright on MamaMia says.
Purpose and Activity: "I am having a bad week …possibly one of the worst of my life. (My son's) relentless unfiltered sunniness stopped me from wallowing in self-pity. He brought me out of myself. Parenting can suck up all your energy, but apparently it can also return it when you need it most. Who knew?" Stuart Heritage, author Man with a Pram.
