Photo from Stock Image
By McKenzi Thi Murphy
Blogs Editor
I do not want children in my life. Upon hearing some horrific child anecdote, my general response is, “reason number ___ why I will never have children.” Please note: numbers are arbitrary.
Reason #11: Children are expensive.
Fun fact: this study found that, as of 2013, the average cost of having a vaginal birth was $32,093 if the woman had employer-provided Commercial health insurance.
Yes, just pushing a squirming bundle of joy out of a vagina costs a little less than the average yearly cost of attending a public four-year college in the United States.
Speaking of college, there is a strong chance I would have to pay for, or contribute to, the cost of this hypothetical child’s secondary education if I do not want them living on my couch for eternity. That cost? According to Vanguard, private tuition could cost more than $120,000 over the course of 18 years.
This is only relevant if I was to hypothetically pop one out right now. By the time most people our age start to have children, the cost is going to be far, far more. And we have not even gotten to the expenses of actually raising that child. The typical middle-income family will spend $233,610 per child. I do not think we need to dwell on this anymore.
Reason #127: Every child brings us that much closer to the end of the world.
Technically. That may sound overly dramatic, and it should. Currently, we have about 7.65 billion people in the world. Given that this polluted, desecrated and human-infested planet of ours can only support about ten billion, we are in big trouble.
Really, my not-having-children decision is saving the world. Technically.
Reason #336: Children are terrible.
There was once a point in my life where I wanted seven children just like my nana, who I absolutely idolized. That desire fizzled out real quick once I fully understood that children are terrible.
Yes, objectively speaking, children are tiny terrors. They are loud and messy and entirely too dependent on another human being for survival. Which is acceptable because children are supposed to be those things. I am just saying I want absolutely nothing to do with them, and if a child comes within ten feet of me, I would immediately leave.
Reason #421: Children are expensive (again) and it takes a lot of work just to get one.
Nowadays, there are more people in non-traditional relationships, and not all couples can conceive a child the “natural” way. Even if I wanted children, my hypothetical partner and I would have to go through either artificial insemination ($300-$4,000 with varying success rates), adoption ($25k-$50k for private placements, $30k-$80k for internationals) or kidnapping (which is illegal and you should not do this).
As an adopted child myself, I always advocate for adoption because it gives children homes, helps with that previously mentioned population control and is just all-around good. But adoption means a hellish amount of paperwork.
Reason #1: I just do not want children.
Ideally, my lengthy list would stop here, but given the pervasive idea that children equals completion, just not wanting children is not enough of a reason.
Children require money, love and attention. None of which I am capable or willing to provide, and someone who cannot do these things should not have children. For everyone’s sake. So, if you do not want kids, then do not have them. Because that is okay.
Disclaimer: This is a blog post in which an opinion is established. We encourage our readers to reach their own conclusions based on reading several articles that support and refute an opinion. The opinions established in this article do not represent the beliefs or ideals held by the Stony Brook Independent.