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What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

derekthompson.org

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Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#171

Post by floren »

SamuelAdams wrote: post #55

As a new parent, it’s money. Daycare costs $400 USD per week in my area, from 7am-6pm, 5 days a week. So for one child that is roughly 20,000 USD annually. Once you hit the 3-5 kid mark, it usually does not make sense for the spouse to work, unless they are earning well above 6 figures. So then you’re going down to one income supporting a family of 3-5. That’s risky for a variety of reasons. If you want actual action…

How fast are you popping out those kids to have more than 2 children in daycare rather than free public school?

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#172

Post by qmr »

itake wrote: post #161

My $0.02 is being a mom sucks. In modern relationships, men just want to work and come home to a cooked meal and clean house, but their wives are working just as many hours the men are. Having kids means tension in relationship, unpaid labor by the woman, and stress parenting kids. Even if the husband steps up, he still can't breast feed for 3 hours per day. Pregnancy is really terrible on the woman's body. Post-part…

> unpaid labor

I have never expected to be paid for raising my children.

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#174

Post by bpbp-mango »

louwrentius wrote: post #159
bpbp-mango wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a ridiculous attitude. The world will always have problems you cannot control. People have been having babies in all sorts of adversity for all of history.

Because things are supposedly “normal”, or happened “for all of history” it doesn’t make it right or moral in any way. I expect better, more thoughtful replies on HN than this.

having kids is, by default, right and moral.

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#176

Post by ebonnafoux »

DeRock wrote: post #142
lesuorac wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Most families in the US can't afford a nanny. Daycare is already stretching it. Where are you at? Nannies are cheaper than daycare starting at 1 kid and the cost becomes overwhelming in favor of a nanny when there's multiple kids. You can also have the nanny watch other kids in the neighborhood if you only have 1 kid.

Paying someone to watch your children full time so that you can do your full time job is inherently classist. Who takes care of the nannies kids? The solution to "kids are expensive" being to just pay someone lower class to do it is absurd. > You can also have the nanny watch other kids in the neighborhood if you only have 1 kid. You're re-inventing daycare here.

> Who takes care of the nannies kids?

Nannies take multiple children (up to 4 here in France) at the same time. So he/she can take his/her own.

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#177

Post by 486sx33 »

0_____0 wrote: post #29
bdavbdav wrote: post #19

(Purely anecdotally, my own and my peers experience) We’re seeing educated people waiting longer in life to have children. Fertility drops, assistance from older generations drops, the village has gone, nursery and care prices are ridiculously high, support from the government (UK) is a bit of a farce if you’re earning anything more than a living wage in cities, the opportunity cost of a parent putting a (more develo…

Costs $2500-4000/mo for infant care where I am. On top of a $3000/mo mortgage. NE USA. When I see a family of 5 my first thought is "holy fuck they must be loaded." Either that or they have one parent who cannot be employed outside the home.

[dead]

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#178

Post by crtified »

My anecdotal experience, which illustrates how changing societal norms may be contributing.

Around 1960, my grandmother scandalously fell pregnant with my mother in her late teens. The child was adopted out - well, not out - in. To her own grandmother, to be raised as a "younger sister" to her own mother.

Around 1980, my mother scandalously fell pregnant with me, in her late teens. Despite family disapproval, the child was had, because it was the done thing. It wasn't a time of simple, easy access to birth control and other procedures.

In the late 90's, my late-teens girlfriend scandalously fell pregnant. Her parents + the medical system swung straight into full control, a termination was a foregone conclusion, and we were simply dragged along by the expectations of society at that time.

I'm heading towards 50 now, and have no children. I guess that "scandalous mistake" is the only real chance some people ever get in life, though they don't know it at the time. And for us, modern society's ways effectively eliminated it.

Re: What caused the 'baby boom'? What would it take to have another?

#179

Post by louwrentius »

bpbp-mango wrote: post #174
louwrentius wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because things are supposedly “normal”, or happened “for all of history” it doesn’t make it right or moral in any way. I expect better, more thoughtful replies on HN than this.

having kids is, by default, right and moral.

You made that up. It’s very easy to think of circumstances where it would be very immoral because of all the suffering the children will have to endure.
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