I think I completely missed the point about (not) having kids

[Adumbration]

21 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Had 5 biological kids, cared for 2 that weren't mine.

4 biological kids ...... worthless ingrates

1 wasn't mine ....... total nightmare.

 

1 biological son is great, 1 daughter wasn't mine also great.

Don't think DNA matters that much.

If I had to choose just one out of the seven it'd probably be the daughter that wasn't mine.

Your breakdown is meaningless without reference to nationality and thus cultural outlook toward parents or step parents.

 

But I know the daughter that wasn't your was Thai.

[Adumbration]

19 hours ago, Denim said:

Whether you want them or not , I would think very seriously about what kind of life they might have given the way the world is currently going.

 

The planet needs more humans like Thailand needs a new temple or woman's hairdressers.

No longer a valid argument.  Populations have peaked in most countries and are now in swift decline.

[OneMoreFarang]

25 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

I would be more ashamed that I obviously never bothered to try harder when faced with fiscal adversity.

 

Just another cop out for the narcissist.

 

PS: I am not calling you a narcissist.

If people want kids, fine.

But it seems some people underestimate how much it cost to raise them properly.

Personally I am just not willing to use half my income or more for kids. If other people want to do that, fine.

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If people want kids, fine.

But it seems some people underestimate how much it cost to raise them properly.

Personally I am just not willing to use half my income or more for kids. If other people want to do that, fine.

I spend about 2000bht/month each on my kids.

[Adumbration]

@OP  I had to double check your post.  I thought that I had written it.

 

The secret to life is focussing upon the things that bring you joy.

 

Would the joy a child brings into your life outweigh any negatives.

 

Therein lies the rub.

 

[KhunLA]

8 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If people want kids, fine.

But it seems some people underestimate how much it cost to raise them properly.

Personally I am just not willing to use half my income or more for kids. If other people want to do that, fine.

At Uni level, yea, on campus, kid was going through ฿35k a month, we were living on ฿30k a month ... ????

 

Krap Unis in Udon Thani, if we stayed there and she lived at home.

No Uni at PKK, A. Muang.   

 

Pays for itself though, good job resulted from getting degree.

[NanLaew]

19 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If people want kids, fine.

But it seems some people underestimate how much it cost to raise them properly.

Personally I am just not willing to use half my income or more for kids. If other people want to do that, fine.

How much (if any) of their income did your parents spend on your upbringing (if any).

[bignok]

11 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

The implication that if someone drops out they may become a billionaire is hilarious... 

 

The single most significant factor influencing success is education...   a number of extremely intelligent outliers do not alter that general fact.

 

 

 

No it simply points out formal education is overrated which it is. Lots of tradies do better than people with 2 degrees. 

[bignok]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

My son is 12 and I'm 67.

Why worry about what other people are doing?

MYOB!

People are bossy. They have no power in life so want to tell other people what to do, gives them a power kick.

 

 

[EVENKEEL]

7 minutes ago, bignok said:

No it simply points out formal education is overrated which it is. Lots of tradies do better than people with 2 degrees. 

Easily stated, not easily proven.

[bignok]

1 minute ago, EVENKEEL said:

Easily stated, not easily proven.

Been a few studies on it

[bignok]

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/376011/tradies-earning-more-than-graduates-up-to-age-30-study

[bignok]

https://everthought.edu.au/tradies-earning-potential-greater-many-university-graduates/

[EVENKEEL]

Just now, bignok said:

Been a few studies on it

Depends on the major, right now a degree at a Maritime College in the US will gross you 100-150K the first year.

[bignok]

1 minute ago, EVENKEEL said:

Depends on the major, right now a degree at a Maritime College in the US will gross you 100-150K the first year.

True. Remote workers on mines or oil rigs do well. Not for everyone. 

[EVENKEEL]

3 minutes ago, bignok said:

https://everthought.edu.au/tradies-earning-potential-greater-many-university-graduates/

I know occupation right now that will put you in the 40 million earned in 40 yrs. And thet are in demand.

[bignok]

9 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

I know occupation right now that will put you in the 40 million earned in 40 yrs. And thet are in demand.

Most on here be dead in 20

[Grumpy one]

23 hours ago, aldriglikvid said:

Maybe a pet, such as a dog? 

A pair of pups from the same litter qualify as Twins  ,

Both will love you as you grow old.

And cheaper than kids  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

t

[Lacessit]

29 minutes ago, bignok said:

No it simply points out formal education is overrated which it is. Lots of tradies do better than people with 2 degrees. 

It depends on what the degrees are. No tradie earns as much as any specialist or surgeon in the medical profession.

My degree in chemistry got me to earning AUD 130K per year, when most tradies were only earning 70K. I wasn't up to my armpits in sewage like the plumbers are either, I was working in comfortable laboratories with aircon because that's a given in the profession.

[Lacessit]

2 minutes ago, Grumpy one said:

A pair of pups from the same litter qualify as Twins  ,

Both will love you as you grow old.

And cheaper than kids  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

t

Kids can be toilet trained, dogs have to be taken outside to avoid fouling the house. They are a responsibility, just as kids are.

Admittedly they are cheaper, and don't have the potential to become drug addicts.

 

[bignok]

Surgeons do 10 or 12 years of training.

[brianthainess]

22 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Kids cost a lot of money. And they often cause a lot of headache.

Confession time, my son late 40s has caused a big headache to his step brother, he hit him in the head with a hammer, and is now on remand for attempted murder, claiming self defense, he will go on trial at the Old Bailey no less. 

No other witnesses so nobody really knows how or why. 

no laugh emojis please. 

[giddyup]

I'm now 80, never had kids and never regretted it.

[BritManToo]

42 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Easily stated, not easily proven.

I earned a load of money in the city after getting a degree and postgrad.

My team mate left school at 16 and then worked on the markets, earned almost the same as me.

[BritManToo]

25 minutes ago, bignok said:

Most on here be dead in 20

I'm expecting to be dead in 3-5.

[KhunLA]

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'm expecting to be dead in 3-5.

Yea, 10 more yrs will be a stretch for me. 

 

Having kids, new born, when older than 50-60 yrs old, and good chance you won't be around for them, and they'll need to deal with your death .. and lack of financial support, when needed.

 

Irresponsible and an unnecessary situation for all involved.  

[KhunLA]

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I earned a load of money in the city after getting a degree and postgrad.

My team mate left school at 16 and then worked on the markets, earned almost the same as me.

I'm the latter, just high school, and still retired at 45.   Was quite surprised at how many co-workers had college degrees, and didn't utilize them.  Self employment & investing made early retirement possible, not my salaried job, 13 yrs @ NWA, now Delta airlines.

 

All the folks I knew that were self employed, and better off financially, barely made it out of high school.

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

How much (if any) of their income did your parents spend on your upbringing (if any).

I had to work at 12 ish yrs old ...

... nuff said

 

Parents money was prioritized for alcohol & cigs.

[Walker88]

I've yet to spawn and have no intention of ever doing so. I seem to lack the basic human instinct to propagate my gene pool.

 

I have found that the most boring thing in the Universe is a new mother, and damn if I would want to live with one. They "love" something that eats, sleeps, wails away, poops and vomits---and they love that more than hubby. I often overhear conversations in a coffee shop or the like where women engage in competitive baby achievements, like "My baby is already crawling" (with the implication that baby is going to grow up to be Mozart or a Noble Prize winner...it won't).

 

I often hear that NOT having kids is 'selfish'. Selfish? Because I don't want to produce offspring who will also produce offspring who will produce yet more offspring who will suck up yet more and more of Earth's limited resources?

 

Maybe as a parent one must become less selfish, but the corollary to that is most definitely NOT that the non-reproducer is selfish. Over the years I have donated millions of dollars to various causes and charities, and if I had been spawning, I probably would have kept all that dosh to take care of 'junior'.

 

I'm sure being a parent is wildly fulfilling for those driven to propagate their gene pool, but it has never been an urge or instinct of mine. There's already plenty of kids in the world, and if populations do happen to get reduced, the only issue I see with that is that the Ponzi Schemes of pensions/Social Security/etc. will suffer.

 

Now I don't mind PRACTICING gene pool propagation as often as time allows, but that's a totally different form of satisfaction.

[AndyFoxy]

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If people want kids, fine.

But it seems some people underestimate how much it cost to raise them properly.

Personally I am just not willing to use half my income or more for kids. If other people want to do that, fine.

Nothing more worthwhile than spending my money to give my kid a good life.